


His Hand in Hers

by thatanonwiththeoc



Category: Chouette!, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (im a degenerate i know), (of course duh), Angst, Ballroom Dancing, Banter, Confessions, Connor's in Love, Crossover, Cuddling, Eerie's in Love, F/M, Fluff, Food is a love language, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love to Lovers, Kissing, Love Confessions, ML/Chouette Crossover, Marinette gets to have a big sister and it's Eerie, Matchmaking Schemes, Multiple Realizations of Romantic Feelings, Mutual Pining, Original Akuma, Tight Embraces/Hugs, all the good stuff fjkdaldf, anyways go check out chouette!, are you even surprised??? im not fdahklf, brotherly shenanigans, highly recommend!!!, i finally got a beta reader, light teasing, pillow forts, premarital handholding, spoiler alert: they fall in love, switching POV, this thing has a plot i swear, you just have to look hard enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:42:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 54,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25590766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatanonwiththeoc/pseuds/thatanonwiththeoc
Summary: Normal detectives would've thought better than to jump on an overseas case, but Connor and Eerie weren't normal. They were so much more than that.One plane trip later, and the two detectives find themselves planted in the middle of Paris. On top of an alleged money scandal, a pair of adorable, madly in love kids, and the terrifying french weather, Connor and Eerie are forced to face the one thing that they both would never admit to fearing the most.Their own feelings.(check out Chouette! overhere)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Connor MacThomas & Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Eerie Escamilla & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Eerie Escamilla/Connor MacThomas
Comments: 34
Kudos: 27





	1. Flight SK8-DRN

**Author's Note:**

> ack! I'm so proud of all the work I've put into this thing. :)
> 
> Chouette! is the work created by [ladyblargh](https://ladyblargh.tumblr.com/), and I highly recommend [checking it out](https://ladyblargh.tumblr.com/post/184445267292/if-youre-trying-to-get-on-the-chouette-train) if you haven't already!
> 
> tumblr: [thatanonwiththeoc](https://thatanonwiththeoc.tumblr.com/)
> 
> this fic is already fully written and edited (to the best of my ability lmao) and will get updated every monday, wednesday and friday. what time, you ask?
> 
> good question fdhalfsdf
> 
> enjoy, i guess?

On a good day, Eerie could believe herself to be somewhat normal

It was on good days where she could let her hair down; feel comfortable in her own shoes. On a good day, she could walk out in public where the looks she got wouldn’t hurt as much. It would still make her stomach twist with dread, but as long as she didn’t want to puke, it was all good. She’d soldier on like the proud woman she always tried to be. Good days were where she was okay with being Eerie Escamilla.

Today… wasn’t exactly a good day.

She should’ve known that waiting in an airport terminal wouldn’t be any different. People stared. People _always_ stared. Wherever Eerie went, there would always be a few pairs of eyes burning holes into the back of her skull, looking at her like she was some kind of freak. Maybe a small, gnawing part of her believed them, too. The worst part? When it made people treat her like someone else. _Something_ else.

But no matter how much it tried to weigh her down, she ground her teeth and pushed through it.

Eerie heard a familiar voice pipe up next to her.

“You didn’t happen to forget why we’re here, right?”

Putting away the novel on the seat beside her, she turned to Connor. “I didn’t, did you?”

“As in, we're about to bust open a money laundering scheme in one of the _biggest_ hotels of Paris? No way, boss.”

Eerie pointed a finger, a smile creeping on her face. “Hey now, we don’t know for sure if there’s something going on behind the scenes. That’s part of the whole _detective_ thing, remember?”

“Of course, of course.” Connor put his hands up in fake surrender. “Guess I just got a lil’ excited?”

“That you are, ya big raccoon-man.” Eerie booped his nose. He scrunched it at the contact and shook his head vigorously. Was he trying to be weird or was that just his raccoon side shining through? “I think the chief was excited too when he got that call.”

Connor chuckled at the memory. “Right? I don’t think he’s ever been so happy to hear that all of Paris’ police forces are being given the work around by the mayor.” Eerie could never forget the way that the man practically kicked down their door after sprinting down the hallway. The hole in their door remained for a good few days before they finally got around to fixing it. Connor, ever the handyman, covered it with duct tape.

She leaned closer, lowering her voice so no one else could hear. “So when two willing detectives offer themselves on the case-”

“-You mean two fuzzy detectives.”

Eerie rolled her eyes, an exasperated smile on her face. “When two _fuzzy_ detectives offer their help on it…”

Connor beamed. “It’s like fate landed right into our clawed, gloved hands!”

“You got it!.”

Eerie felt a soothing calm wash over her as she scratched his chin.

He curled his hands into fists, all giddy and what not. “You ready to take in the beautiful sights of Paris?” 

Eerie inhaled and shook with excitement. The thought of being overseas and seeing all of the different sights with no one other than her amazing partner-in-solving-crime sent a fuzzy warmth through her chest. Not only would they be cracking down on another case, but they’d be able to take in all of the culture, the new sights, and there’d also be one of her closest friends there by her side! What more could she have asked for?

“Oh, you have _no_ idea, Connor.”

He nudged her in the side. “Ooh someone’s eager, huh?”

Eerie shrugged her shoulders, unapologetic. “What can I say? It’s like a free vacation.”

“Eerie,” he fake gasped, “where is your professionalism?!”

Bringing a finger to her chin, she made a show of jutting her lip out in fake-guilt. “Umm, oops?”

At that, they both burst out laughing, catching the attention of a few passer-bys, but she couldn’t care.

All traces of self-consciousness made itself at home at the back of her mind. Still present, but it didn’t feel as bad when she got to screw around with Connor.

How did he do it? One moment, the creeping thoughts of being _different_ seemed to gnaw and agitate her to no end, but the next, it was like they just disappeared to nothing. It was as if he had some sort of sixth-sense where he could just find out when she was feeling down on herself. Was it part of his raccoon powers? What kind of sorcery did he use over her?

It seemed like she was just going to have to come to terms with the fact that she’d never know how.

Of all the things she’d been grateful for, and there were many, Connor MacThomas was definitely up there on her list.

Eerie did her best to make sure that everything in her life made sense, each careful, complex step put into place in just the right way. Like pieces to a puzzle. But _he_ was one of the curveballs that Eerie never saw coming. After she was hired as his intern, he was just so… laid-back and… so willing to _listen_ to whatever she had to say. A severe contrast to all of the other authority figures in her life. All of them were cold, dismissive and demanded the best of her, and then some. But not Connor, he only asked that she be herself around him. Once, he’d even thanked her for speaking out of turn!

But gradually, overtime, Eerie slowly came to terms with the fact that this was just how her new life as a detective-slash-intern would be. When Eerie wanted to share something, Connor would listen. If Eerie ever needed something, Connor was there to get it for her. There would be no more scrambling for approval from mentors, no more malicious glares of jealousy of her efforts, just two partners, as equals, working as a unit. Together.

Eerie ignored the heat in her cheeks at the thought.

The P.A. system chimed to life with a tinny jingle, bringing both detectives to attention. It called for their flight number, which was now ready for boarding.

Connor stood up, stretching his arms over his head. “Welp, you heard the speaker lady.”

From the way his arms stretched, it gave Eerie an all too welcome view of his torso. Despite how messy his attire always was, underneath it all was a very… lean figure. She pulled her gaze away before she could look any further.

Was she just ogling him? What the hell?! That was wrong on so many different levels, she didn’t even have a crush on him! No, absolutely not. Connor was a lot of things, he was kind, hospitable, charming, open, honest, but he was also a living, breathing mess. In every sense of the word! Having feelings for him would be extremely ridiculous, and no way was Eerie gonna do something so skeezy as to start having a crush on Connor of all people.

Eerie composed herself, standing up with perfect posture like the absolute professional she was. 

“That I did.” She coughed, making sure to keep her eyes away from anything below his neck. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice the slight tremble in her words. “Ugh, looks like I’m gonna have to starve for 8 hours straight. Airplane food makes me gag.”

As they made their way towards the line, Connor adjusted her bow. Eerie leaned into his touch without much thought. “C’mon, it’s not that bad. Food is food!”

“ _Everything_ is food to you.” Eerie laughed. The line between food and not-food was severely blurred to Connor. No matter how cool it was to have ultra-sensitive hands and an uncanny knack to sneak into anywhere, it could never be worth finding spoiled milk appetizing, of all things!

“Not true!” He turned towards her. “Pineapple pizza is one of the things I absolutely will not touch.”

Well, almost anything.

Eerie groaned. “Are we still on about that?!”

“It’s fact, plain and simple.”

“I can’t believe I’m being told this from a dummy who fishes in the trash.”

Connor gasped dramatically, putting a leather-gloved hand to his chest. “I’ve told you, I do not _fish_ in the trash, I go-”

“-hunting.” They finished in unison.

Eerie crossed her arms and smirked. “I knew you were gonna say that.”

That would’ve been a sweet victory in her book. Outwitting Connor was one of her favorite pastimes, she’d admit that much. She dared a peak at his face. Which was actually, a horrendous decision. A catastrophe of an idea. Absolutely idiotic on her part. Because the way he looked at her with nothing but adoration did things to her that she Did Not Want To Feel. Eerie would never admit to the fact that his eyes were her favorite shade of blue.

ERROR: Eerie.exe has stopped working. Force quit program? [Y/N]

Her mental finger hovered over the _‘YES’_ button before she shook her head and pulled herself together.

“A-anyway…” Stuttering? Really, Eerie? Was she some kind of smitten schoolgirl talking to her crush? “How about you? You excited for Paris?”

He turned forward. “Am I? Darlin’, I was _born_ ready! I am so ready to absolutely chomp down on some escargot.”

A garbled sound escaped her throat at the mention of snail delicacy.

Connor seemed to notice it too, because he leaned in closer and waggled his eyebrows. “Don’t deny it,” he lilted, ever so smug, “you wanna try some too.”

“No.” She said quietly.

“Yes you are boss, admit it.”

Eerie pouted. “I won’t.”

“Yes you do.”

“No.”

“ _Yes._ ”

“ _No._ ” She whisper-shouted.

Eerie held his gaze, trying her best not to crack. Never in this lifetime would Eerie have ever thought of admitting to herself that eating snails of all things would be appealing, much less would she admit that to anyone else. But his mangy face was scrunched into a smug, trash-eating grin that was her undoing.

And, like a boulder falling off of a cliff, she broke.

“Argh, fine!” She flailed her arms. “It’s practically the whole reason I volunteered us for the case!”

That answer seemed to make Connor the happiest man in the world, since his eyes practically glowed with pride. Stupid, handsome face.

“There she is!” Connor opened his arms, taking her into a tight hug and nuzzling his cheek into her hair. “Embracing her powers like the proud woman she is.”

When he wrapped her in his arms, Eerie felt a warmth explode in her chest that spread its way through her being. She tried her best to look indifferent under his praise, but darn it if this man wasn’t so sweet and cuddly. Eerie tilted her head slightly to rest her head under the crook of his neck, finding comfort in his warmth.

He smelled like garbage.

But his hugs were also very nice.

_Meh, you win some, you lose some._

Besides, her own breath probably reeked of pickles from that morning anyway.

Connor kept holding her tight against him, and much to Eerie’s (very much internal) joy, kept proudly throwing praise after praise at her all the while. Even though the feeling of being in Connor’s arms was doing _wonders_ on her mood, she didn’t know how much more she could take until she’d melt into the carpet.

The moment was cut too soon when they heard someone clear their throat.

“Ahem.” They turned to see a flight attendant eyeing them expectantly, clearly unimpressed.

Turning around, Eerie noticed that they were, in fact, holding up a very long queue behind them without even noticing. She felt her cheeks flare up for a completely different reason.

After apologizing for the disturbance, Eerie hastily made her way onto the plane with Connor in tow. She made sure that she was holding his hand a little lighter than usual, as always was their custom. Not just out of habit.

In a few hours, they were going to touch down on a continent they’d both never been to. They’d be alone together in France, working a case in a land they didn’t recognise. A case they’d been briefed about only just a week earlier. There’d be people they’d never met before, buildings they’d never been inside, and maybe if they were lucky, a few people would be put to justice.

Eerie took a deep breath and quickened her pace.

This was going to be one heck of a trip.

* * *

Checking into the hotel was relatively smooth, despite the initial language barrier. Eerie was able to step up as a semi-translator. Connor’s french wasn’t _terrible_ per se, but she didn’t miss the way a few of the staff members snickered at the way he greeted them, causing him to flush a light shade of pink. At his embarrassment, Eerie nudged him in the side and gave him an encouraging smile.

It worked.

Slumping into their room, Connor practically flopped onto one of the beds like a ragdoll. He muttered something along the lines of jetlag being a two-timing jerk, and given that it was about midnight, Eerie wholeheartedly agreed. She could already feel her eyes drooping under their weight. If she looked closely enough at the bed, she could already hear it whisper sweet little lullabies in her ear. Ugh, why did life have to be so unfair to her?

She flicked a light on and took in the room they’d be staying in for the next few weeks. Thankfully, a two bed apartment despite everything.

It was a modest living space. There were two twin-sized beds, barely enough room for the lanky man that was Connor, and adjacent to the ‘bedroom’ was a small, bare-bones kitchen that Eerie didn’t exactly know how to use. Cooking was usually his thing, anyway. Though the beige walls were rather plain, it made up for it with a quaint charm that took the form of humble decoration and cozy housing. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for what they needed.

A bedroom and kitchen in a single room. Why not?

To anyone else, it would’ve been just fine.

Sure, it was nice, but something inside her heart _yearned_ to make it more like Connor’s room. Eerie only spent a few nights at his place when they were working on a case that needed some more attention, but in that short period of time, the place quickly grew on her. She missed the giant pillow forts, and the scattered case files on the floor. The soft scent of something cooking in his oven always tickled her nose in the best possible way.

Maybe if she did some minimal redecorating, things would be a little more familiar…

“Hey, Connie.” Eerie chirped, the nickname was something she came up with a few weeks ago. “what do you think of getting a corkboard?”

Connor shot up, still kneeling on the bed. All previous traces of exhaustion gone in an instant. “Then it’ll be just like home!”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“Oh no…“ He put a hand to his head, like a damsel in distress would. “Eerie, I think I’m getting homesick.”

“Already?” She asked, and he nodded with a pout that made her giggle. Eerie scruffed his hair and he leaned into the touch. Eerie had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from cooing. Instead, she just chose to focus on the feel of his fluffy hair in her hand. Scruffy, unkempt, filthy, nasty locks that might’ve had trash juices in them. “Don’t you worry that handsome face of yours, the month will be over before you know it.”

Was the word ‘adorable’ appropriate for a 26-year-old raccoon man?

Probably not, but it fit pretty well for how he was looking at her right now.

“What’s first on the agenda, Eerie?” He plopped his hands down on the bed in front of him. It reminded Eerie of a child going on an exciting road trip.

And really, what was more exciting than working on an overseas case?

Eerie popped open her suitcase. “There’s a really high-class ball coming up at Le Grand Paris Hotel on Friday, and we were given full access to the venue by the Police Nationale.” Which was a life-saver, by the way. Who knew how they were going to get in otherwise. “We’re going to use that time to get any possible leads or to talk to anyone who might know something.”

Folding her clothes next to her on the bed, she turned to see Connor snacking on something that absolutely was _not_ food. “Connor! Soap? Seriously?! Where’d you even get that?”

“Bathroom.” He said, unashamed.

She shook her head. At this point, she’s just learned not to question how he somehow managed to pull the most random objects out of thin air. The man and his ‘food’.

Eerie folded a shirt and placed it beside her. “Once we get a lead, _then_ the real detective work begins. Got it?”

Connor saluted. “Loud and clear.”

Eerie let out a breath. She was glad her mentor was someone that was always ready to listen, it helped her grow into something more of a leader. When she got paired up with Connor, they fell into a rhythm; a natural ebb and flow that neither of them needed to communicate. It was there, and it was theirs.

What would life for her have been like if she was put under someone that was the complete _opposite_ of Connor?

Her skin crawled.

She didn’t want to think about it.

While she continued unpacking her bag, Connor made his way to her and sat down.

“Hey,” he said, “let’s unpack in the morning. Get some shut-eye, hm?”

Eerie shook her head. “Technically speaking, I’m nocturnal, and so are you, remember?”

“Right, but I can tell you’re feeling tired.”

She tilted her head in a silent question before she looked down.

Connor’s hand was on her lap.

“You sneaky snake!” Eerie tackled him, her clothes flying to the floor and forgotten.

Connor let out a hearty laugh, his chest rising up and down with the motion. “Jemina made me promise I’d take care of you!”

“Jemina? Why?”

He wrapped his arms around her middle and smiled. “You know how she gets.”

She slumped her head into his chest and grumbled. Why did everyone have to care so much about her?

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Connor hushed. “I’ll keep the reading to a minimum from now on.”

Eerie raised an eyebrow, doing her best to look unimpressed. “Promise?”

“Promise, raccoon’s honor.” He raised a gloved hand.

Eerie relaxed. She knew better than to doubt her partner’s word. His uncanny ability to read people’s emotions at the literal touch of a hand was something that Eerie secretly envied. What she wouldn’t give for powers like his instead of the freakish inhumane strength that she was given. _Inconvenient_ wasn’t a good enough word (as many, many crushed textbooks would prove). At least it meant she could open jars, so that was a plus at least.

Looking back at the floor, she saw the mess she’d made. Her clothes lay scattered pathetically on the grey carpet like sprinkles on a sad birthday cake. Eerie hunched in defeat. That would be a bit of work to clean up, and she was already so _exhausted._

Connor curled a finger under her chin, tilting her gaze up at him.

“We’ll worry about it in the morning, alright? In the meantime, I want some sleep.”

Eerie raised a brow. “Are you sure you can do that in a regular bed like a regular person?”

“Oh no, but I sure as hell am gonna try.” He chuckled. “Go to bed, Eerie.”

“I can’t do that with you in it.”

Oh, that one was very good. Eerie was in the middle of congratulating herself on her quick wit when she realised Connor was uncharacteristically quiet. It wasn’t until she saw the fierce, wide-eyed blush under her gaze that she realised the implications of what she’d just said.

_WAIT NO-_

Her throat ran dry.

“I-I mean like… it’s because you’re taking up all of the space in the bed and you’re just so muscular and stuff… wait but no that’s not what I meant-!” Eerie felt her own blush heat up her face, it felt like any hotter and she’d be setting something on fire. Why couldn’t she just crawl into a hole and disappear forever? Maybe the void would be more welcoming.

Eerie jumped off of him and stepped backwards, almost knocking something over as he looked at her, dumbfounded. “I’m just gonna get ready for bed now goodnight bye!-”

Slamming the door to the bathroom behind her, Eerie pressed her back against the wood and let out a deep, _very_ much needed breath.

What the hell was that?! Connor was probably so weirded out by her unintentional innuendo that he’d probably want her fired or- or something! No way was he going to want to be her partner after this. She couldn’t even count how many boundaries she’d just crossed. Not to mention how this would probably affect the rest of the team! One little slip up was all it took for the detective duo of the cursed unit to be blown to smithereens. Leave it to Eerie to somehow screw up a case before it even started.

After dressing down and finishing the rest of her nightly routine, (Eerie had to use the hotel’s cheap plastic toothbrush after she accidentally snapped her own in half.) she creaked open the bathroom door, and creeped her way to the bed. She silently hoped that Connor wouldn’t be able to hear her footsteps.

When she realised Connor was no longer in her bed, but was looking out the window, she sighed in relief. Thank goodness.

Connor spoke up first, his usual chipper tone replaced by awe.

“Paris is really beautiful at night.”

He moved to the side to give way and let her see. Sure enough, their view of the lights and streets below left her mouth hanging. Connor bit his lip, snickering at her wonder, and Eerie had to resist the urge to smother his face with a pillow.

She never got this kind of view back home. Not without driving for hours upon hours through the country. But the yellow hues of light danced with the deep blues of the night sky, and the moon never looked so big and full in the night sky. No painting could ever capture the beauty that presented itself before her now. It was like a cloud; a feeling that eluded her and would only be experienced when the stars aligned just right for the wonderful sensation to take over again.

She could feel her heart racing. How the heck could a few buildings and some lights be so darn breathtaking?

Connor tucked himself into bed, their earlier incident seeming all but forgotten. Eerie tore her gaze away from the view to gauge his reaction, hoping to herself that all would be forgiven and that her little blunder would never be mentioned again. At his reassuring smile, she finally let the tension in her shoulders ease. She hoped he knew how thankful she was for his forgiveness. But then again, that was Connor for you. Always the kindest, he was.

“Goodnight, boss.” Connor sang.

Eerie followed suit, stepping _around_ her clothes on the floor before pulling the comforter over her and switching off the lamp between them.

“Goodnight, Connor.”

Eerie closed her eyes, already a bundle of nerves for what the month ahead of her would hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: [thatanonwiththeoc](https://thatanonwiththeoc.tumblr.com/)


	2. A Chance Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, it's a bakery that keeps you going...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what the heckity-heckin-tic-tac?! the tumblr post i made for the first chapter blew up like crazy after ladyblargh reblogged it fdajklfdhsa
> 
> sorry i just didn't expect this fic to get the traction it did honestly but im so glad it did anyway ;-;
> 
> (anyway i might've taken some creative liberties with the detectives' high school lives so it may not reflect canon all that well. oops)

Walking down the hallway of the hotel with a bounce in her step, Eerie admired the corkboard in her arms. It was large enough that it needed both of her arms to carry, but even then, she’d dropped it a good few times on the way to the building.

Regardless of how awkward it was to carry, this thing was going to make her and Connor’s room as detective-ready as it ever was. When Connor offered to clean up the space while she went out, she quite literally jumped at the offer.

Tucking the board under her arm, she fiddled in her pockets for the keycard.

When she finally got the door unlocked however, the board dropped to the floor and out of her grasp with a  _ thud. _

“Is that-?”

“A pillow fort modeled exactly like the one I’ve got at home?” Connor finished, biting his lip. He stood back and took in her reaction. Which was probably looking like she had her jaw to her floor with her eyes popping out. But honestly, she couldn’t care less at that moment. “Maybe.”

Eerie squealed. She should’ve known the sneaky butt would’ve made one of his signature forts in their room while she was gone! Sure, they might have to clean it all up when they checked out, but they were staying here for a bit, and they did agree to re-decorate a bit, didn’t they? Now, there was a paradise of pillows and blankets waiting for her, laying there as if it was calling to her.

_ Come, Eerie. Indulge your cuddly nature. _ It whispered.

When she jumped into the fort, she was met with the pure bliss of french bedding. It smelt and felt like heaven.

“Is it comfy?”

“Mhm.” She hummed into the pillow she was crushing in her arms. He had  _ no  _ idea how much she needed this.

“Would it be better with a cuddly racoon man in it?”

Eerie shot up, and she could see the way his eyebrows were raised in question. He already knew the answer, yet his gaze was still burning into her, asking for permission.

“Please.” She muttered.

At her answer, Connor shuffled his way into the fort, snuggling himself into the monstrosity of construction that was his creation. Upon making eye contact, the two burst into a fit of giggles.

“Alright alright, you know the drill.” Eerie settled herself. “Embarrassing stories. The theme: P.E. Class.” She already knew which story she was going to tell him.

Connor brought a hand to his chin, humming in thought before snapping his fingers with a bright “Oh!”

Ah, this was gonna be good.

Connor leaned forward. “Ok, so you know how I did a bit of track back in high school right?”

Eerie nodded.

“Well, this one time I was about to race in front of everyone at school. And I figured, ‘hey, this is the perfect opportunity to show off to some of the girls in my class.’ So I plant on the blocks. And on the signal, I burst even  _ harder _ than usual. Like, almost to the point where it affects my technique. So I’m running, pushing even harder than before then-”

He put up both hands for dramatic effect, Eerie leaning in.

“I face-plant  _ hard _ right in front of everyone.”

Putting a palm to her mouth, Eerie snorted. “No way.”

He shrugged, shaking his head. “ _ Yes _ way. It’s how I got this scar.” Tilting his head up, he pointed to a darker patch of skin that Eerie never noticed before. “See?”

Eerie hugged the pillow closer as she inspected. She’d never noticed that little blemish under his chin. What if there were other marks on him that she’d never noticed before?

_ Wait no, he’s your partner! Stop that! _

After shaking her head to rid herself of her less-than-appropriate thoughts, Eerie straightened herself.

She followed with a story of her own. Her arms waved through the air frantically as she recounted a dreaded story of when a classmate of hers tapped her on the shoulder, and she was so startled at the unexpected contact that the tennis racquet in her hands snapped and sent a piece flying straight to the offender’s groin.

Connor cringed. “Argh, poor dude.”

“Ugh, I know.” Eerie smothered herself into the pillow in her arms. That particular event would play on her mind on repeat. The thought that the man was probably still out there  _ somewhere  _ kept her up at night.

When she heard him laugh, she shot him an unimpressed look. “I’m glad you find it so amusing.”

Connor wiped a tear from his eye. “Hey now, I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at the poor guy that got completely obliterated by your equipment-destroying prowess.”

“You really think I’m that good at snapping tennis racquets?” Eerie asked timidly. His praise was almost always her undoing.

“Eerie, you are the best racquet-destroying detective I know. The bestest, in fact.”

“You’re such a flatterer.”

“ _ Buy  _ my silence.”

“Don’t make me get the racquet.” She teased.

“Oh  _ goodness, _ please no.” Connor put his hands up in surrender, earning a chuckle from Eerie.

A low growl erupted and hung in the air, the entire room put in a shocked silence. It didn’t take long before Eerie was able to deduce where it came from. On cue, Connor hugged himself around his abdomen and laughed bashfully.

Eerie smirked. “Did you eat today?”

“Not really?” He shrugged, not really looking ashamed. “I was kind of busy.” He gestured to the fort around them.

Eerie readjusted her bow. “Yeah well, neither. But I did see this really cool bakery on the way here! Feel like checking it out?” She passed by the place when she was buying the board that now lay forgotten on the floor. The place looked really small, but if the aroma she got from across the street was any sign, it  _ had _ to be worth checking out.

Connor sat up in excitement. “Do they have anything sweet?”

Eerie got up, laughing. “It’s a boulangerie in Paris, Connor. They’re bound to have something sweet.”

“Yes!” Connor pumped his fist in the air, and Eerie didn’t even try to hide her amusement. “I’m about ready to  _ binge _ on some pastries.”

“Ooh, is that a challenge?” Eerie leaned down so they were nose to nose, no way could he beat her at this. Connor may be able to eat anything he could fit in his mouth, but little did he know that Eerie could have quite the appetite. If anyone was going to beat the other in an eating competition, it was her. So, she leaned in closer and gave him a glare that could even make the bravest of souls cower in fear.

What she wasn’t expecting, however, was for Connor to turn to a color so red it could rival a traffic light. Her tires came to a screeching halt.

Eerie shot up, feeling her own heat crawl up her cheeks. “Welp! Let’s go now, chop chop!”

She wanted to hit herself. Chop chop? What the heck was that?

There were many questions, and (not) for the first time, Eerie wasn’t sure she wanted the answers.

Eerie burst through the door, and the groan it made in protest did not go unnoticed by either of them.

* * *

The Dupain-Cheng bakery was quaint, a small little operation that was almost no bigger than their hotel room. Even from the outside, the building looked tiny. But to Connor, it had a nice homey feel that embraced him in a warmth that was a severe contrast to the chill outside. If he could, he’d buy the whole place out and absolutely gorge on everything they had if their stock tasted as good as it smelled.

And by goodness, did it smell  _ good. _

He knew Eerie had quite the sweet tooth too, and that wasn’t just because she was burning holes into the display cases. He couldn’t even make fun of her for it, because he was doing the exact same with his nose against the glass. He was absolutely positive that whatever was going on in this bakery was magic. No other explanation for it. Just absolute, unexplainable magic that made the most sweet smelling pastries. Could they teach him?

“Connor, I’m about ready to inhale some of these.”

“Same.” He muttered, in awe of how a single piece of pastry could even look so appetizing.

While they were busy ogling the pastries, Connor and Eerie turned to see a short, asian lady greeting them. Though he didn’t quite catch what she said, he could still tell her overall tone was welcoming. He paused to mentally translate what she said, but before he could reply, Eerie replied in what he assumed to be perfect french. As always, she showed her instinct as a natural born leader at every opportunity. He couldn’t help but admire how composed she held herself.

Whenever the time called for it, Eerie was always on top of things. It was part of her whole being to get the job done no matter what. Yet, she was still so fun to be with, cracking him up with her wit and focus. Sometimes using both in ways Connor could never see coming. She was a constant in his life, almost to the point where he couldn’t imagine himself at work without her. The thought of her not ever being there made his heart feel a pain so deep and wounding that hurt worse than splinters, and that was saying something.

Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be with her in the little things. Outside of being on duty, that is. Maybe on Saturdays, he could help her tie her hair into a pretty bow he bought her. Or maybe that day he could finally convince her to let it free, perfect. Eerie untamed, like how he so longed her to be. She was so pretty and beautiful with her hair down, but even then her style never did justice to the amazing person that held it.

Connor never said any of it out loud though.

Who knew what’d happen if she ever found out how he felt about her.

His absolute wonder of a partner.

No, it was probably just best to keep his mouth shut.

Connor was just about ready to finish paying for their pastries when they heard an ear-splitting crack of thunder roar through the streets. Eerie jumped at the sound as well as Connor. It was swiftly followed by the faint traces of a soft pitter-patter on the streets. It picked up quickly after that. Looking outside, the once clear sky that shone before was replaced by nasty downpour.

How were they supposed to get back to the hotel now?

The kind lady looked between them with concern before gesturing to follow her. From what little french Connor could understand, it sounded like she was inviting them in to stay until the storm subsided! Neat! He wasn’t exactly a fan of getting his tail wet in the rain. Especially not when he was just about to indulge in some sweet, sweet pastries. He opened the bag and held a very visceral, telepathic conversation with the treats. They were glaring at him,  _ teasing _ him. Looking so delectable.

_ Mmh, just a little bit longer my sweeties, and you’re all mine! _

Following her up some stairs and through what he assumed was their front door, the woman introduced herself as Sabine. He had Eerie to thank for that since the french language was just a tad fast for him. Not to mention he was the slightest bit distracted, thank you very much. He was just busy admiring their walls! It was such a nice, calming blue that he had to appreciate the color choice.

After Connor and Eerie shucked off their shoes, Sabine offered them a basket of slippers and asked politely for them to wear some. Not wanting to be rude, Connor obliged. One pair of which looked  _ very _ cute.

“Ooh, I like these cat ones!” He cooed, already slipping on the white, fluffy footwear. He wiggled his toes, giggling at the fuzzy feeling. There was no restraint on his part when he knelt down and ran both hands through the fluff material. He couldn’t help it even if he wanted to. Everything felt nice in his hands, it was one of his habits that he loved to indulge.

Eerie slipped on a polka-dotted pair. “Speak for yourself, these suckers are clearly superior.”

He stuck his tongue at her while Sabine called upstairs. He would’ve missed the sudden shuffle over their heads were it not for the sound of laughter that came along with it. Oh, there was a family here? Neat!

They followed Sabine into the living room, where they saw a trapdoor from above the stairs being opened. Out of it came a pair of giddy teens, practically vibrating from how they moved with excitement.

Or at least, they would’ve been, if one of them didn’t trip over the last step.

Connor and Eerie moved in sync to catch the girl between them, and she fell into their arms with a solid  _ oof. _

The dark-haired girl gave a blushy, apologetic smile before shooting back up on her feet and bumping into the other kid that followed her. At the contact, her cheeks turned a shade darker. Ah, to be young and in love. He missed that simplicity in life.

Introducing himself in the best french he could, Connor bowed, earning a slap in the arm from Eerie. He may not be very good with his french but the least she could do was to let him make a good first impression!

The girl from earlier was short; petite despite how well she held herself. She was clothed in pink jeans and a white shirt that had an adorable little floral motif on its front. Connor had to bite his lip from how adorable her outfit was. When she spoke, he made note of how animated she was, despite not understanding as much as he wanted to, he could still get the general vibe of what she was saying just from her body language and facial expressions. “Marinette.” She introduced herself.

The other teen was a bit taller, blonde hair and green eyes. Straight posture, almost a bit too straight. He wore a cotton white overshirt over a simple black. The brand logo looked familiar… 

“Adrien Agreste.” He introduced, and Connor was thankful that someone other than himself and Eerie spoke english. Not that he hated speaking french, no! He was just really bad at it, was all.

“Pleasure to meet you, Connor and Eerie.” He said with a french lilt. Adrien shook Connor’s hand with a properness that he quite honestly, wasn’t expecting.

As the storm roared outside, the group broke off into pairs, settling on the couch while Sabine returned to their bakery below. (Connor made sure to thank Sabine profusely for her hospitality in what little he could communicate). Naturally, he found himself making small talk with Adrien, since he was the one out of the two teens that he could actually have decent conversation with.

Interestingly, there was something about him that he couldn’t quite put his finger on…

Connor squinted his eyes as Adrien finished his sentence. “Hey, kid? I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen your face somewhere before.”

Adrien laughed politely, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah, you must have seen my work somewhere then. I model for my father’s brand.”

Oh, that was why! Connor remembered now, he caught sight of a weird cologne ad on a bus stop when he was busy trash-hunting on the way there. Eerie wasn’t happy but the joke was on her, he managed to snag a half-drunk milkshake. Ha!

“Ah, that’s it.” He kicked back coolly before sitting back up right away, remembering he was a guest in someone else’s house. “What about her?” Connor pointed at Marinette, who was now making lively conversation with Eerie. “Is she your girlfriend?”

“Oh, Marinette!” Adrien turned, clear adoration in his gaze. “She’s just a friend, one of my closest.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, besides, there’s another girl….”

Ouch, that hurt. Connor hadn’t even known them for even 10 minutes but already, he could tell that she definitely had a massive crush on him. Connor could see a love-stupid kid when he saw one because he  _ was _ a love-stupid kid. Eerie turned to look at him in silent question, and sure enough, she’d come to the same conclusion.

Connor didn’t want to confront Adrien directly, lest he make the conversation awkward.

“Mr. MacThomas?” Adrien asked, bringing Connor’s attention back to him. “I do not want to sound rude but… I am a bit curious about your-” He gestured to all of Connor, as if he was too afraid to point to any specific, raccoon-themed parts of him.

“Dashing good looks?” Connor waggled his eyebrows.

Adrien shook his head nervously, and Connor couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Kidding. It’s about the ears and tail, yeah?”

Adrien nodded.

Explaining his powers didn’t usually take much time. He’d mention the forest he got lost in, how he got there in the first place. How he could pretty much eat anything in sight, and his sensitive yet useful hands. Not to mention how he got to work with some of his favorite people in the world!

While he was in the middle of mentioning how he didn’t need to worry about dishes as much anymore, he half-expected Adrien to be freaked out, maybe even curious in a sick, twisted way. Like how some might see people like him as a sort of circus attraction. It was a bit irritating when others saw him like that, but it’s not like he’d ever let it get to him or anything.

That was a battle he’d long finished fighting.

But when he looked back at Adrien’s gaze, there was only understanding. He wasn’t looking at him like some sort of freak, no. He just looked so… genuine.

If his tail was curling up with excitement, he didn’t even bother hiding it.

After he finished, Connor was able to learn a few nice tidbits about the boy that sat in front of him. He learned that Adrien was homeschooled for most of his life, and that he practiced piano regularly, as well as fencing. Which was interesting to say the least, since he never knew that people actually took fencing seriously. But then again, back home they had a weird obsession with bats, balls, and touchdowns. So he just pinned it to a difference in culture. To each their own, he supposed.

Following a good 15 minutes of what Connor was proud to call pleasant conversation, it soon came to the attention of everyone in the room that they all shared a liking for Ultimate Mecha Strike. Adrien had the bright idea of having a mini-tournament until the rain subsided.

Connor stood up, pointing a finger at Eerie. “What do you say, boss? You ready to get your butt kicked?!”

Eerie followed, putting her fists to her hip in what wasn’t anything short of adorable. “Bring it on, trash man!”

He laughed in challenge as Marinette turned on the console in front of them. Working as a detective meant that sometimes, one would have to spend long nights with their partner in an office. And sometimes, one would feel absolutely restless during those overnight sessions. So once, Connor suggested to Eerie that they play UMS once to take a break from a case that had him riled up against the wall.

Though Eerie claimed to have never heard of it before, she picked it up quickly. Almost  _ too _ quickly. So much so that within the span of a few weeks, she was already playing up to par with him! Among the rest of those in the office, Connor MacThomas and Eerie Escamilla became the two UMS rivals, two forces to be reckoned with.

Connor volunteered to go first, all too eager to flex his gaming skills. Adrien and Marinette shared a knowing look before he gestured for her to lead the way.

Giving his opponent a good-natured smile, he shook her hand as she plopped down on the couch next to him. “Well little lady, let’s see you trash talk your way out of this one.”

Marinette turned to him, giving him a smirk. Speaking in a high accent, “Gaming needs no words.”

As the game’s announcer counted down for the match to start, he felt all too confident.

Because Marinette proceeded to wipe the floor with him.

Connor mentally cursed as his avatar got decimated by Marinette. It should’ve been illegal- no,  _ impossible _ to pull off moves like that! Looking to where Eerie sat, she sat with a slack jaw, smiling wide. Was she shocked or impressed? Probably both. Connor was definitely feeling both because  _ damn _ this girl had game.

Meanwhile, Adrien just smiled, as if he was  _ expecting _ her to be capable of brutal manslaughter.

Everyone in the room took turns trying to dethrone the legend that was the gamer in the room. But all to no avail, there were only a few close calls, each one where everyone save for Marinette held their breaths in anticipation. But every time, Marinette pulled off the sickest comebacks Connor had ever seen.

What was most interesting though, was the look on Adrien’s face as he got absolutely pummelled by Marinette. His eyes weren’t on the screen, but rather, were on her. He was wearing a dopey smile so cute that he’d have to scream ‘I’m in love with this girl’ to be any more obvious.

The game announcer proclaimed Player 1’s victory, and Marinette shot up to do her victory dance. The eye-roll from Adrien told Connor that this wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, but the precious way she wiggled could make even the toughest of cookies coo in delight.

Marinette clapped her hands, which brought Adrien to attention. She ordered something at Adrien in french that Connor didn’t quite catch. In response, the boy shot up from his seat and bowed dramatically.

“Of course.” Adrien laughed.

As Adrien bolted up the stairs, Connor clapped and hooted along with Eerie as Marinette gracefully accepted their fanfare. This girl really was something else, and she was a good sport too! She never rubbed her victory in their face (more than was necessary). She waved her hands, similar to how a princess would greet their celebrating crowd.

And as if fate had sealed the deal, Adrien returned downstairs with a paper crown, featuring some crudely drawn handwriting into the side with what seemed to be black marker. Connor shook his head smiling when he read ‘#1 Gamer’.

Placing the crown on its rightful holder, Adrien proclaimed what Connor roughly understood as ‘Her majesty the queen!’ before kneeling in front of her like a gracious knight.

Eerie and Connor burst into a fit of laughter at the kids’ antics. He had to clutch his belly before it started to hurt. Where the hell did they even get that from? Did he just have it at the ready? The two detectives followed suit, getting on one knee. Each taking their own side next to Adrien. Before bowing his head however, he hovered his hand over Adrien’s back, looking at Eerie.

When Eerie nodded in approval, he made the contact.

While under the guise of honoring the Queen of UMS, Connor tried not to beam wide with a smile.

Usually, all Connor would get while reading people was a mental gauge; a simple idea. But rarely did he ever feel something so visceral and so alive. It was so intense that Connor was there, feeling it there with him. It sent a warmth through his system, a warmth that was a little too much like a summer’s day on the beach, making him think of eating pickles out of a jar his partner opened with her own strong, bare hands.

What was even more hilarious though, was that he could feel it all under what was possibly, in Connor’s experience, the thinnest, most fragile blanket of denial he’d ever felt.

What did Adrien say about her before?

That she was just a friend?

He turned his head to see a red-cheeked Adrien, smiling wider, much wider and brighter, than Connor saw on that bus stop.

Connor huffed.

_ As if. _

* * *

Eventually, the time came for Eerie and Connor to leave. She made sure to thank the family several times for the meal and their hospitality. It was rare for even a few people to show her that much warmth and kindness, let alone an entire family. She also had to practically beg Connor before dinner to act like a normal human being for once and not embarrass her. Much to her relief, he agreed.

Now, walking through the wet streets of Paris on a Thursday evening did a blissful number on her mood. Blue hues danced on the streets, accompanied by the soft wail of traffic from afar. The soft light from the street lamps above danced and trinkled on the puddles left by the rain, singing a song that almost no one could hear. The soft, tranquil smell of rain lingered on her nose, but she thought nothing of it. Instead, opting to just close her eyes and take in everything around her. A deep breath filled her lungs, coating her insides in the cool, damp evening air, as well as coaxing her eyes open. She settled into a peaceful silence with Connor as they stepped through the damp pathways.

She stuffed a pain au chocolat whole in her mouth as he jumped from puddle to puddle. Eerie didn’t know how to thank him for how comfortable she’d become in her own skin ever since she started interning under him. Even something as little as eating food her own way was okay, even  _ encouraged _ by him. Granted, her eating habits were nowhere near as strange as his, but regardless, it still meant everything to her.  _ He _ meant everything to her.

At times, she just wished she knew how to show it better.

“Whaddya think of Adrien?” Eerie asked, mouth still full.

Connor turned, still vibrating with energy. “He’s adorable! So cute, 10/10, would protect again.”

She swallowed the pastry whole. “Ooh la la, Connor wants to be a big brother.”

“You bet.” Connor picked up a rock and skipped it, sending it bouncing on the Seine a whole three times before it disappeared into the river, never to see the sky again. “He grew up in a sheltered home, y’know? Dad never let him out of the house. That explains why he was so happy to make new friends.”

Eerie hummed. “Marinette mentioned that earlier.”

Connor made his way to her side, nudging her. “Tell me about her, boss.”

At his encouragement, Eerie brightened. “That girl is filled with so much energy! Where does she keep it? In her pigtails?” They laughed, moreso at the girl’s endless optimism than herself. “She reminds me of myself when I was younger, in a way. She’s uh… lots of drive and lots of guts.”

He chuckled. “Sounds like someone I know.”

Eerie paused when she noticed that he stopped his pace at a particularly  _ large _ puddle. Deep enough that it reached through the leather sole of his sneakers. That pause could only ever mean one thing, and one look at Connor’s face said he was thinking the same exact thing she was fearing. She could only whisper a single word out of the dread that choked her stomach.

“Don’t.”

Connor’s grin widened before kicking the water at her.

Eerie let out a shrill yelp as the freezing water soaked her. The detestable fluid made her skin crawl as it made its way through her clothes. Her mouth was left agape, and she let out a single, offended laugh. “Oh, you are so dead!”

Not one to be above a little revenge, she planted her foot in another puddle and made sure to get a good amount of filthy rainwater on there before thrusting it all at him with a good  _ flick _ of the heel.

Connor merely turned and used his arm as a shield. It was no use, since none of it was any match for the biting sensation of hell that Eerie was about to throw down. Would it hurt his hands? She hoped not.

However, all concern for her partner was banished to the back of her head just as soon as it came. Connor retaliated, laughing all the while flicking wave after wave of water at her. Eerie yelped under the attack, each one just as spine-shiveringly cold as the last. Though she was hiding behind her sleeves, she could see the most  _ irritating _ grin on his face, practically begging to be wiped off of his face. So he wanted to play like that, huh?

Eerie bolted forward on the path, making sure to get a good distance between her and Connor. Each step splashed strategically into the next, pretty much soaking her shoes. But she didn’t care, that wasn’t important at the moment. Once she was sure she was ahead by a good bit, she turned on her heel, sending a playful glare at him from ahead. Connor slowly paced towards her, looking like he was trying to calculate her next move.

As if he’d be able to guess what she was gonna try and pull off next.

Slowly, the two picked up their pace, slow lingering turned to jogging as they moved their way towards each other. Before he could launch another water-flicking assault, however, Eerie moved to the right, shifting her weight onto one foot before using her other to hook around Connor’s. Bringing her forearm to his collarbone and pushing, she pulled his weight with enough force to send him toppling back, butt-first into a puddle with a satisfying  _ smack. _

The disbelieving shock in Connor’s face was more than enough to make her content.

She was  _ so _ glad she took those lessons with Jemina.

He sat there, struck dumb with his backside absolutely soaking in the water before he shook his head, finally coming back to reality. “You cheated!” He spluttered, with all the dignity of a bushy-tailed man could have while plopped in a puddle.

Eerie smirked. “U-huh.” When she scratched his chin, he smiled into the touch, his tail twitching.

She held her hand out for him to take, and he took it happily, hoisting himself up. He dusted his shirt off, as if such a thing was actually going to save his outfit from the water. Nevertheless, Connor simply shrugged it off and acted like nothing was wrong.

“You play dirty.” He smiled.

Eerie started walking again, prompting him to follow. “Right now, you  _ are _ dirty.”

“We’re  _ both _ dirty.”

“Exactly! Two filthy detectives strolling through the streets of Paris.”

Connor chuckled. “As if you’d rather be doing something else?”

She gave a low hum, as if really thinking deeply about her answer.

Giving him a smile, she hid her hands in the pockets of her now soaked coat.

“Not really.”

They kept walking in a comfortable silence. Eerie had to admit, it was really nice to just be in the moment instead of having to worry about work all the time. On top of that, the view was simply amazing to look at. It was no wonder how Paris was such a popular place for tourism.

“They’d make one cute couple, you think?” Connor said, bringing the kids back into the conversation.

Eerie beamed. “I know! They’d make  _ such _ a cutesy couple.” She was shipping it hard already. “Too bad he doesn’t see her that way.”

“Ah-ah!” Connor opened the hotel door, ever the gentleman, he was. “I  _ felt _ that boy’s feelings towards that girl. Kid’s got it bad.”

“That bad?” She gasped.

“That bad.” Connor followed her, his footsteps clacking against the tile. “So, if someone were to push him in the right direction…“

“Connor, no.”

Biting his lip, he raised his eyebrows. “Connor,  _ yes. _ ”

“Connor!” Eerie hooted, already laughing. “We’re here to potentially catch a corrupt politician, Not play matchmaker with a couple of kids!”

He laughed along with her, trying to hush her as they waited for their lift. “Shh! Not so loud! Someone might hear!”

Eerie rolled her eyes. It wasn’t like she could help it or anything. So what if she got a little excited? Besides, it looked like they were alone in the hotel lobby anyway, so no one would hear. 

As they stepped into their lift, and the metal doors whirred to a close, Eerie let her thoughts wander back to Adrien and Marinette. Namely, how cute they would’ve been if they did become something more than just friends. In a weird way, she sort of  _ wished _ she could see what they would be like. Eerie was a romantic at heart, even though she never let it show. It was a little detail about herself she didn’t share much, but still there and real nonetheless.

Would they become closer? Would one of them pick them up when the other was down? What about their friends, what would they think? Was Adrien the type to spoil his girlfriend with all of his money? Or would Marinette refuse to take it?

Eerie sighed, trying to banish the thoughts from her head. She only knew the kids for half an afternoon yet she already felt so oddly protective of them.

Shame, Eerie thought.

It wasn’t like she was going to see them again anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh connor's in love


	3. The Fanciest of the Fancy Balls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: this fic's working title was 'When Push Comes to Shove'!

It was a well known fact among those that knew Connor that he couldn’t dress well for the life of him.

Well, it was more like he couldn’t be bothered at all. Why even bother with scratchy suits and restricting dress shoes when there were much more comfortable, easier alternatives? Not to mention how he’d been untying and retying the same bowtie for the past 15 minutes, trying to get it just right for Eerie, but no dice. None of his lame attempts ever looked right. That is, ever looked worthy enough to even be seen next to her.

Connor rolled his shoulder, trying to awkwardly shift in the suit jacket for what felt like the millionth time. But no matter how many times he pulled on the collar, it still nicked and tugged in the most irritating way.

“Eerie…“ He groaned. “How long is this gonna ta-”

He cut himself off as he turned around.

Orange.

Her dress was so orange.

Connor was vaguely aware of her voice speaking to him as her back was still turned, but couldn’t make out any sort of sense of her words. At least, not when he was so entranced by the color that complimented her eyes way too well.

“...While you’ve got your ear on the inside.” Eerie put a hand to her hip, oblivious to how such a simple motion sent his chest into overdrive. “I’ve already told you this, or are you just hungry again?” She turned, sending him one of those knowing looks he loved so much about her. But her eyes flew wide when she realised he was looking at her.

Crap, he caught her staring! Don’t be weird, don’t make it weird, DON’T MAKE IT WEIRD-

She shook her head violently. “A-anyway, the Uber’s already waiting down in the lobby.” Was it hot in here or was it just Eerie? No STOP it stop it- “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

The elevator ride down was… suffocating. To say the least.

One look at Eerie was all it took for him to die a little inside.

She was consciously looking away from him, like the sight of him was too much for her to handle right now.

Connor felt a nasty feeling of dread pull at his gut. He could tell that she was on edge from their earlier incident. It didn’t matter how attractive she was, he had no right to be staring at her like some piece of meat. Eerie was so much more than that, she was  _ worth _ so much more than that Yet now, she was probably feeling more awkward than ever being so close to him, and he hated it.

The last thing he ever wanted to do was to hurt Eerie. He wouldn’t know what to do with himself if anything ever happened to her, let alone be the cause of such distress. Their relationship was something he cherished extremely close to his heart, and if that were to be ripped from him, it would tear it in half. What was Eerie thinking of him now? Ugh, the thought of Eerie seeing him in a bad light alone did painful things to his chest that he didn’t want to mention. If he ever lost her…

Connor took a deep breath. No way was he going to act like he didn’t just screw up big time.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” He croaked. The words didn’t do it justice, though. He had his fair share of relationships that went down the gutter from how much of a sexist jerk he was before. The last thing he ever wanted was for Eerie to be next in a long list of names. Names that held little meaning to him anymore. She didn't deserve that. Not one bit. “I shouldn’t have stared at you like that.”

At her silence, he continued. “I’m  _ so _ sorry. It was wrong, it was disgusting on my part, I’d  _ never _ want to make you feel uncomfortable. Ever. I-” He choked, not knowing what else to say, what else he could do to possibly make it up to her. “I hope you can forgive me.”

Connor looked down at his shoes, he couldn’t look at her  _ now. _ He didn’t deserve to.

He brought up a gloved hand to his face, but was interrupted when Eerie caught it in her hand. When he finally pulled his gaze towards her, she was looking straight through him, and his mind swam with orange. It was as if she could see straight through his eyes and was looking into the inner person. He could only hope that that person she saw was someone actually worthy of her time and attention.

She spoke with an assertive gaze, just as much as he’d learned she did when she was going to say something important. “Regardless of your intentions, you were still acting weird.”

“You’re right.” He nodded.

“But,” She added, stressing emphasis on the ‘but’, “I do also know that you’d never do anything to intentionally hurt me. So, if we can agree on no more creepy staring. Maybe, just maybe, I can find it in myself to forgive you.”

Connor brightened, feeling like a burden was lifted off his chest. “You really mean that?”

“Mhm!” She chirped, brimming with such positive energy that it infected Connor too. He didn’t deserve her. Not one bit. It made him melt when she squeezed his hand gently, so as to not agitate but calm his sensitive nerves. “You mean a lot to me, Connor.”

Beep beep! She’s saying good things about you! Say something!

An intense flush took his cheeks. “W-well, don’t go falling for me now!”

Eerie laughed as the doors opened before them. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Right.

Wouldn’t dream of it.

As they made their way into the car, he couldn’t help but bring his mind back to why he fell for her in the first place.

It’d been a good few months since ‘Crush Day’. Before then, any thoughts of Eerie off-duty were strictly forbidden. Nope. No way. He didn’t want to feed the feelings any more than they already were. They were already as unprofessional as they could’ve been. The last thing Connor needed to do was to add more fuel to the fire. His chest was already pounding around her, and letting it do anything more than that was enough to make him nauseous.

But then, he ultimately decided to just screw it, and let the workplace crush, or  _ whatever _ it was, do its thing for a day before it’d inevitably die out. Because surely, his calm heart would never hold onto anything that deep for his intern of all people, right?

It’d been 6 months.

And now, even the smallest things she did meant everything to him.

He thought it’d go away sooner or later, but once he let himself feel it,  _ really _ feel it, he couldn’t find it in himself to stop. Going home only meant being away from her, and the lingering absence by his side was all too present. Each time she showed him how smart and cunning she was meant Connor felt himself spiral further into his own rabbit-hole of feelings. Every second she spent with him was time he cherished.

He mentally chastised himself for weeks after that day. Because really, he had no right to see her that way at all. She was his intern! Boss! Partner! His Intern-Boss-Partner! Their relationship was meant to just stay purely professional, hell, maybe even platonic at most. Underneath his adoration for her, that was just it: a pure, unrestrained partnership with a deep bond that wasn’t to be tempered with. His feelings could wait.

_ Yeah right. _ A voice in his head said.  _ You know there’s more under the surface. _

That was the last straw.

“Shut up!”

Eerie turned, and it took all of Connor’s self-control not to flinch. “You okay, Connor?”

Ah crap, he said that out loud.

He gave a thumbs up. “Um- just peachy.”

Eerie snickered. “Is that the best you got?”

“Your  _ face _ is the best I got.” Which really, wasn’t that far off. Connor wasn’t blind, he had two very well-functioning eyes. He knew just as much as the next guy how gorgeous Eerie was. It was just that there was so much more beneath that pretty face that it almost went completely under his radar when it was outshadowed by her. Her person.

“Uh-huh. Real mature.”

Connor wiggled his butt into the backseat. “Of course. I am the epitome of maturity.”

That managed to do the trick, since Eerie broke out laughing. Connor ignored the driver’s grumbles in front of him and instead chose to take in the surroundings through the window. It was hard enough trying to resist gazing at her lovingly like he so badly wanted to do at that exact moment.

It was a nice, peaceful ride. Each street turning into the next with the streets bustling with life. Some were parents with their children, some couples going on their first few dates, some young artists trying to find inspiration. The city was soothing, it seemed, and it ended all too soon when they arrived at the front door of Le Grand Paris Hotel. It wouldn’t be another hour until the event officially started, but Connor had a good feeling about showing up early.

Connor helped Eerie out of the car, earning a nice head pat from her. “Alright Connie, you remember the plan?”

He smiled. As if he would ever forget. “Get in the air vents, see if there’s anything going on and suss out the staff. If I hear about any names, I record the audio on my phone.”

“But?” Eerie eyed him expectantly.

They spoke in unison. “Do not confront anyone or get caught.”

Connor saluted. “Got it, boss.”

It was smart work on her part. She took their strengths, and formed a plan of attack that was only bound to go smoothly. With Connor on the sidelines running recon, and Eerie getting to make the important work getting all of the connections. Sure, that meant she’d be the only one at the forefront of it all, but he wanted to take every opportunity to show off the prodigy that was his partner. Everytime he thought he knew what she was capable of, she blew him away again. It motivated him everyday to become a better detective; a better person. What would he do without her?

Eerie swiftly adjusted her hair, and he had to resist the urge to do it for her for the sake of professionalism. “I’ll head in and do some groundwork in the meantime; make some connections.”

He pointed an accusatory finger at her. “By the way, I know you just assigned yourself that role to indulge the food in there.”

“Oops, I’ve been caught.” Eerie a finger to her chin, looking anything but ashamed.

Connor chuckled, knowing all too well that he’d do the same thing if he was in her shoes. Eerie was all too cunning; he knew that much. “See, this is why you’re the brains!”

She pouted. “Is that all you hired me for?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Excuse you!” She shoved him, and Connor laughed when he caught her smile. “Enough chit-chat. Go get ‘em tiger.”

“Aye aye, cap’n!”

It wasn’t long until he found himself scrawling through the vents of Le Grand Paris Hotel. He found it hard to explain how he could find a route from Point A to Point B without much thought. Animal instinct, he figured. He sure wasn’t stealthy, but you could count on him to get the job done regardless.

Not sure exactly where he was looking for, he aimlessly crawled on hands and knees through the system. Though he was technically looking for leads, there weren’t any of them to look for so far. It was hard to tell exactly where he’d find one anyway. Always the hardest part of the case. The beginning. A left turn here, a right turn there, a lot of it was starting to become routine. He’d even admit to being lost at this point. All sense of direction lost a few minutes ago.

Eventually though, he managed to come across something new, much to his pleasure. He caught sight of a slitted window up ahead, a welcome sight. It meant that there would be something he could follow instead of just crawling blindly through a dark tunnel!

What was interesting though, was that the lights on the other side seemed to be on. If Connor remembered right, it was only supposed to be some sort of supply closet.

Unfortunately, when he crawled closer to inspect, he lost his balance and ended up falling in, sprawled out on the floor of a big dusty supply closet.

More unfortunately, Adrien stared right back from across the dusty closet with his hand on the door, locking eye contact while also wearing his own frazzled expression.

The two scrambled, panicking. They both yelped.

“I can explain!”

* * *

The hotel was much more than she was used to. It was definitely much more extravagant than the one her and Connor were staying at. A lush, red carpet ran through the room and up the stairs to the elevators. Eerie felt sort of out of place in the large building, but either way, it was still really pretty.

She heaved open the doors to the main function room, where the event was being held. As soon as Eerie opened the doors, she was greeted by the sound of soft, mellow music. No doubt by the band doing a quick soundcheck before any of the guests arrived. Eerie scanned the room, looking for anything that would benefit her. Her gaze fell on a catering table, of which there was a very familiar face behind it. She felt a smile on her face as she made her way over.

She spoke out to her in the best french she could. “Goodness Marinette, is that you?”

Marinette shrieked, spilling a tray of macarons all over the floor.

_ Oh no I scared the poor girl. _

Eerie hurried to kneel down and help Marinette put away the mess.

Marinette shot her a smile as she picked up a macaroon, despite her earlier blunder. “Eerie! What are you doing here?”

“Uh…“ Eerie faltered. She wasn’t sure how much of the case she could disclose. “Just some work stuff. I didn’t know your bakery did catering!” She could already hear Connor congratulate her for her masterful deflecting.

Marinette beamed, and Eerie could already feel the adorable rant coming.

As Marinette rambled on about all of the recipes she’d help prepare, Eerie felt a rush of giddiness course through her. A good few items off of Marinette’s list was more than enough to make Eerie practically foam at the mouth, but now wasn’t the time to be salivating over her pastries, no matter how delicious her frantic, passionate descriptions sounded. She was on duty!

Marinette paused, a blush taking her features. “There’s… kind of a reason I wanted to help with  _ this _ one event, actually. You see, there’s this boy I like…“

“Adrien Agreste.” Eerie interrupted. Then proceeded to internally scold herself for interrupting her. Darn her over-eager intuition!

“How’d you know?!” Marinette’s eyes flew wide open.

Eerie tapped her noggin. “I’m a detective, remember?”

Marinette giggled, and looking just as every bit adorable and precious as Eerie remembered her to be. She was just so small and innocent! No, she had to focus, she was a detective on duty and definitely should not be cooing over kids she met on the job.

But, it seemed like fate had other plans for her.

The light from before seemed to have dimmed when Marinette visibly sank into herself. “You’d think that after being his friend for so long, I’d be able to tell him how I feel by now.” She laughed sadly. Out of nowhere, Marinette’s shoulders fell, and her gaze fell to the side. “Kind of sad, right?”

Okay, that did it for Eerie.

This girl, regardless of how little Eerie knew of her, did not deserve to be looking so defeated. So hunched in on herself.

“Hey.” Eerie put a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe I can help you woo the Agreste kid, hm?” It was an impulsive offer, since Eerie herself never actually had much experience in the love department. But the words were out there already, and Eerie wanted to help her in any way she could.

Marinette lit up. “You’d really do that?”

“Mhm!” She nodded. “As soon as I’m off duty.”

Hugs were a rare occurrence for Eerie, save for Connor. But when Marinette wrapped her arms around her waist, she didn’t even hesitate to do the same.

“Thank you, Eerie!”

After years of trying to suppress her instincts, Eerie always made a note of keeping her composure despite her predator-like tendencies. A habit Connor was slowly helping her learn to overcome every now and then. But now, with Marinette in her arms, the instinct to protect, protect,  _ protect _ was too strong to even try and remedy.

And if Eerie was completely honest, she didn’t really want it too

Eerie held her tighter.

She’d protect this girl from the world.

* * *

It took Connor a good few moments to calm down and explain that he was  _ not _ actually trespassing, but was actually working on a case. But after clearing up that misunderstanding, and trying to pull his leg out of a shelf, they were able to pull themselves together. As it would turn out, Adrien was hiding from fans, so they were both innocent.

A model heart-throb running from rabid fangirls.

It… actually made a lot of sense.

But then again, the hotel seemed pretty quiet from what he heard from both the outside and the vents. Connor was pretty sure that if there was a screaming mob anywhere in the building, he’d be among the first to know. But he thought better than to call out his possible bluff, there were more important things for him to do than that. Like doing his  _ job. _

Adrien followed him out into the hallway, with a slight excitement to his step. “So, you’re on duty?” Connor nodded, and Adrien brightened. “That’s so cool! What’re you investigating?”

He chuckled. “Now if I told you that, I’d have to kill you.”

Peeking around a corner, Connor surveyed the hallways around them in search for anything that might seem askew. Nothing out of the ordinary, just empty halls upon empty halls. There wasn’t much that was leading to anything incriminating. A bit disappointing, but at least there were more places he could look to for anything that might lead him in the right direction. Today’s investigation wasn’t over just yet.

He turned around to see Adrien ramrod straight, looking like someone just threatened to kill him.

_ Oh, wait. _

Connor rushed to him. “Wait, I was joking!”

Adrien sighed in relief, loosening the tension in his shoulders before shoving Connor a whopping two feet back. He shot Connor a scowl. “You scared me!”

All Connor did in response was scoff at his sore attempt at a shove. “No offence or anything, but you’re pretty weak.”

Adrien’s mouth fell open in offence. All traces of the polite boy from before all but gone. “Shut up,  _ you’re _ weak.”

In response, he put a leather-gloved finger to Adrien’s chest, taking into account his stance, his centre of mass, and his posture before bracing his arm for the strike and…

_ Bingo. _

He extended his finger with just enough force to make Adrien lose his balance, sending him toppling back and scrambling for any semblance of balance. Connor was even able to count 6 whole seconds before he finally found equilibrium! Ha, new record! He was totally going to have to thank Dennis for that one.

He sent Adrien what he hoped was a challenging enough grin to send him over the edge. And it looked like it worked a charm. The kid had the nerve to try and take him on? Oh, bring it.

As Adrien made his way closer, he walked closer in equal challenge. If he wanted a fight, he knew what was coming. Adrien shot a playful smirk at him, and Connor was all too happy to oblige. As soon as he was close enough, Connor swiftly stepped out of the way, filled with nothing but gentlemanly poise. Lifting his forearm to Adrien’s shoulder height, he brought his foot behind Adrien’s ankle and pulled.

Adrien fell backward with a hard  _ thump. _

He looked up. “Where did you learn that?!”

Connor dusted off his hands, making sure to bask in the glory of his victory. “Let’s just say I’ve had some pretty great teachers.”

Adrien jumped up, in a way that Connor only recalled seeing in those wild martial arts movies. Where the heck did this kid learn these kinds of moves? He was just about to ask how in the hell he pulled that off when the sound of voices from around the corner brought Connor to attention. Looked like they weren’t as alone as they thought. Meanwhile, Adrien seemed about ready for another round, already stalking towards him.

“Wait, stop stop stop.” He hushed Adrien, and the boy looked irritated for a brief moment until Connor brought a finger to his lips. Connor turned his head towards the voices. Fumbling for his phone, he muttered to himself before discreetly pressing record.

“This better be something.”

* * *

Eerie spent most of the event chatting with a few of the guests. She made sure to ask some of the staff a few questions, just for anything they know that might lead her somewhere.

To her luck, there wasn’t much to be gathered.

However, from what she did hear from a few of the socialites, there were three families in attendance that seemed to hold the attention of all the party-goers.

That was, the Agrestes, the Tsurugis, and the Bourgeois.

She wasn’t able to garner much more than that, since that was about as deep as she could get. Still, a surface-level lead was better than no lead. So, if that was what she was going to get, Eerie was going to have to work with it. Though the party was now in full swing, the music playing just as lively as the chatter around her, she still felt as if the presence beside her felt a little too quiet for her liking. More than she liked to admit.

She felt a poke at her shoulder, and she assumed it was  _ probably _ Connor from the voice.

“Well boss, anything?”

Eerie turned. “I’ve got one- hey, what happened to your suit?!”

Connor creased his eyebrows, glancing down as unaware of the disgusting condition of his attire. “What? It’s not even that dirty.”

She grabbed a stray dustbunny off of his shoulder and held it in front of him, eyeing him. His gaze shifted between the clump of dust and her eyes briefly before laughing nervously. He took it out of her hand with what little shame he could have. It was a tad bit frustrating, but given how she literally told him to crawl through vents, she should’ve seen it coming.

“Did you at least find anything that could give us a lead?”

Connor dusted himself off, thankfully. “I thought I did, but they weren’t doing anything wrong.”

Eerie sighed, this investigation was looking like it was gonna go cold. She wasn’t looking forward to heading home empty-handed. If she went home with nothing to show for it, she’d be ashamed to even try and show her face. It wasn’t until she felt Connor poke her side that she realized she was spiralling again.

“Hey,” he said, “take it easy on yourself. Chief wouldn’t have sent us here if he didn’t think we were capable. So let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, alright?”

Well, he did have a point there.

“To taking it easy?” He held out her fist.

Eerie bumped it. “To taking it easy.”

Eerie felt her tension leave her body then. “In the meantime, I did a little something.” She pointed to her left, where two certain smitten teenagers were making  _ splendid _ conversation.

From the distance, Eerie couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying, but she already knew what was going down just from Adrien’s blush and his laugh. Even she was impressed with herself at the advice she gave Marinette. All she did was work off of the experiences she had with Connor and somehow turned it into ways she could try and win him over. Which was surprisingly, really easy to do.

But it wasn’t like she actually  _ did _ flirt with him or anything. That’d just be weird.

Their chemistry was just unique, was all.

It was really, really good chemistry.

She turned back to see Connor looking all too impressed. Eerie had to admit, seeing him look like that sent a thrill through her. His brows were raised in surprise, and his mouth slack with a happy smile on it. It seemed as if he was trying to say something,  _ anything, _ but the connection between his mouth and his brain was faulty. Who knew that Connor could be quite the shipper?

Still on a high, she did something brave. “Say, you want to dance?”

The band played a slow tune, perfect for what she had in mind. She anticipated the beating in her chest, but what she didn’t take into account however, was his reaction at her request.

“D-dance?” He spluttered, clearly trying to gather himself. His gaze scoured the room in any direction that wasn’t towards her. If Eerie was being honest, it  _ was _ a rather forward thing to ask of him. She almost took back the request out of fear of weirding him out before he spoke up, looking away bashfully and bringing a hand to his neck. “I uh, don’t know how?”

Eerie felt her cheeks flush. “You don’t?”

“No, I uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I never learned.”

“O-oh,” she stuttered, “I’ll teach you then!”

He looked up at her, blue eyes asking. Still, he played it off. “Right, because what else are co-workers for?”

“C-coworkers!” Why did she recently pick up a habit of stuttering around him? This wasn’t professional! “We’ll dance as co-workers at the fanciest of the fancy balls!”

Finally, they both laughed at how ridiculous they were being. Because really, what was a little dance to two partners?

“Well then,” he bowed, offering a white-gloved hand, “would you care to teach me how to dance?”

Eerie pulled a face, earning a laugh from the fuzzy raccoon man before taking it. It was soft to the touch, some kind of expensive material, she presumed. She made sure not to hold it too hard, for fear of hurting him.

As was their custom.

They made their way to the dance floor, where there were plenty of other pairs minding their own business and politely dancing in their own space. Eerie silently hoped to herself that tonight wouldn’t end with her heels in someone else’s. Or worse, Connor’s.

Slowly, she guided their entwined hands to the side, just up to eye-level before gently lowering his hand into the curve of her hip. He pulled her closer to him, the non-existent space between them filling her senses as she brought an arm up to rest on his shoulder. She elected to ignore the way that she felt extremely sensitive under his touch. But instead, she guided him through the steps, making sure to give him extra feedback on what he was doing that worked and what didn’t.

Connor chuckled. “Why do I feel like there’s going to be a test at the end of the class?”

Eerie poked her tongue. “You asked me to teach you!”

“Right, but I wanted to be taught how to dance, not step to the rhythm.”

Eerie tutted. “That is the literal dictionary definition of dancing.”

Unable to respond, he just rolled his eyes.

And wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

She felt her ears flare with heat, but it was probably just from his body warmth.

The music picked up in its dynamic, and Eerie stayed moving with Connor all the same, stepping side to side to the rhythm in each other’s arms. Any conventional sense of dance was promptly discarded to the back of her mind. It didn’t matter anymore when he held her like that. It was a touching embrace that sent a warmth through her chest. Professionalism be darned. She knew that Connor was important to her either way, whether it be from being around him so much or the close bond they had together. She held him close to the point where she could almost never imagine anyone else by her side for the past year. So for once, she just let herself be in his arms, dancing the night away.

Although, Connor was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the rest of their dance. It was rare for him to go so long without speaking. Plenty of time being his partner taught Eerie that much.

At least, he  _ was _ silent until he caught her attention.

“Hey Eerie?” He croaked, voice hoarse as if he was speaking for the first time in years.

She looked up, catching his gaze. The nervous way his eyes bounced between hers told her something. He was nervous. But for what? Was he feeling okay? He looked flustered, a pink tinge in his cheeks underneath his mask. Why would he be nervous when he was the one who initiated the close dance in the first place? Eerie liked it of course, but that was besides the point-

“There’s uh,” he lilted, “there’s something I want to tell you.”

She tilted her head. “What is it?”

“I think-”

Connor cut himself off, as if second guessing himself again, and then once more, and then once more. It was like he was swimming alone at sea, trying to desperately kick and flail against the storm, but only to meet the crashing waves come down around him, drowning him all over again and forcing him to come up to the surface for any kind of air. What was on his mind that was making him act so strange? Eerie had no idea, but all she could do was just watch and listen.

“I think I have-”

He swallowed thickly, looking away. Eerie had to resist the urge to  _ yell _ at him. However, that idea went out the window. Instead, she chose to fix a stray lock of hair that dropped past his forehead and past his brow. She ran a nail across it and tucked it back into the nest of his hair. Still messy, despite everything. It was a small gesture, but she hoped it was enough comfort for him. A smile wouldn’t hurt too bad, either.

Connor looked at her with a small look of surprise before steeling himself.

“Eerie,” he spoke, more assertive this time. Though, his cheeks were dusted a pretty pink.

He looked her in the eye.

“I think I have fe-”

He was cut short by the sound of two doors being kicked down, followed by a shrill, high-pitched scream.

“WHERE IS CHLOE BOURGEOIS?!”

Connor and Eerie turned to the offender on the other side of the room, and spoke simultaneously.

“What the heck is that?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if it makes any of you feel any better i got just as frustrated at these two writing this
> 
> (in the most loving of ways)


	4. Dreamless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fair warning: this chapter contains a good deal of angst. but it's quickly followed up by some nice hurt/comfort to soothe the soul
> 
> reader discretion is advised ;-;
> 
> (also, we just hit the 20k word mark!!!)

Everyone in the room ran to the nearest exit. Though they were clearly composed to some degree, Connor could clearly tell from the vibe in the room, from the panicked expression on everyone’s face, that the sudden intrusion was anything but unfeared. He was pretty sure that he heard a glass break somewhere among the flurry of dresses and ties.

Connor glanced at the floating white figure that stood at the opposite end of the hall. It held itself with a straight posture, with white, too white wings on either side of her that stretched on either side, the length of a car. She scoured the room with a crazed, manic glint in her eye. Was that a robe? She bore resemblance to an angel, but he was pretty sure angels didn’t go around shooting golden laser beams and made them disappear at the pull of a trigger.

Seeing people vanish into thin air made his stomach drop.

This sort of threat was different than most, it was almost supernatural.

Then it clicked.

 _‘Akumas, that’s what they’re called.’_ His inner Eerie Voice said. They briefly touched on it back home a few months back. But for whatever odd reason, the little detail slipped Connor’s mind until now.

Oh, how life liked to play its little tricks on him.

He looked back down at Eerie to check if she was okay, but was thrown off balance when she grabbed him by the hand and stole them away. Like any fool in love would, he followed without any question. No doubt she was already finding a way out of this mess. A stark contrast to the suffocating flurry around them. Connor quickly urged himself to keep up with her, pumped with the adrenaline. He’d be lying if he said he wanted to be erased from existence today.

“Where’re we going?” He breathed, unable to talk from how fast she was dragging him.

Eerie shoved open the emergency door with a loud _thwack._ “Wherever the heck that thing isn’t!”

Connor quickly nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

What he wasn’t expecting, however, was to be taken all the way up to the rooftop, with no way down.

The sound of Eerie giving an indignant huff next to him brought his attention to her. Her gaze was scouring the rooftop for any safe way down. “What kind of hotel doesn’t have a fire staircase?!”

When it was clear that there was no other way down, he brought both of them to the nearest edge. They couldn’t go back the way they came either, because that meant danger. It was most likely best that they didn't go back inside the building that had a literal beam-shooting supervillain in it. He figured that if they needed to get out, they needed to get as far away as possible. By any _means_ possible

“I’ll get us down.” He took off his suit jacket. It was only going to get in the way. “Hold on.”

He held out his hand, but Eerie didn’t respond. She was busy peering over the edge, and he felt rather than heard her swallow. Her breathing was ragged, and Connor was reminded of another thing about his partner.

Oh.

How could he forget?

“Hey, look at me.” Connor tilted her gaze towards him, hoping to take her mind away from the ground below.

He paused, he could tell even without his powers that she was terrified out of her mind.

If looks could kill, Connor would’ve been torn in half by hers.

The normally smart, cunning, brave Eerie. Looked so small and fragile in that moment, like she was about ready to fall apart at the seams. Her eyes flooded with fear, struck idle from the height while she worried her lip between her teeth. There was nothing more than what he wanted in that moment than to take her in her arms and whisper in her ear, telling her that everything was okay and that they didn’t really need to go down if she didn’t want to. He couldn’t promise that now, so he decided on the next thing he could do.

Swallowing, he whispered. He wanted her to hear it. And _only_ her.

“You’re gonna be safe with me.”

He’d wait an eternity for her, but lucky for both of them, a few moments was all it took. Eerie nodded, slowly bringing her arms around his neck and letting him hold her close while he took them to the edge. Shutting her eyes tight, she brought her nose to the inner crook of where his collarbone met his neck, hiding her face. Normally, his mind would be shooting fireworks at the embrace, but now wasn’t the time. She was in danger, and no way in hell was he going to dawdle when it came to her safety.

Connor brought an arm around her waist and got to work, making sure to keep his movements smooth and efficient. But still steadily so as to not rock her in his arms. No matter what, he was going to make sure she got down safe. It might have been a bit awkward with the added weight, but with her clinging onto him, who was he to complain?

He chastised himself. _Focus. One ledge to the next, just like you always do._

They only had two more stories to go, but Eerie dared a peek below. It was short lived when she let out a choked whimper and retreated back into his neck. The sound alone sent a wave of protective worry through Connor. She didn’t deserve to be so scared right now, didn’t deserve to be looking so afraid and small. She never did.

“Easy, Eerie.” He whispered, doing his best to quell her nerves, as well as his. “You’re doing great.”

Eerie quickly nodded, short of any verbal communication.

It absolutely tore at him.

Connor moved a bit faster, his feet silently landing them in an alleyway right next to the building they were in before. They weren’t out of the woods yet, but at least they were on solid ground now. She was still holding on to him, breathing shallow and fast. He wasn’t sure if she knew they were on the ground, but he still clung to her all the same. He’d be damned if he ever let go while she still needed him.

They stood there, simply existing in each other’s arms. Akuma or not, Eerie was holding on to him as if her life depended on him. Maybe it did a minute ago, but Connor had no doubt in his mind that she would’ve been fully capable without him in the first place.

She was just Eerie that way.

Still, though…

“Open your eyes, Eerie.” He whispered gently, as if talking to the most delicate flower. And really, she was the smartest, most deserving flower he’d ever had the honor of stumbling across. It was a wonder how a mess like him was even next to her in the first place.

It took a good few moments, each one feeling longer than the last. But eventually, her eyes opened up to gaze into his first, before looking anywhere else, as if asking if everything _was_ okay. It made way for those beautiful deep orange eyes that Connor held dear. Orange quickly became one of his favourite colors after meeting Eerie, but for the life of him, he wasn’t able to figure out why at the time.

That was before.

Now, he would’ve been happy living in a big orange house. Covered in bright orange paint. With a closet full of orange, orange clothes. Just as long as she was there with him, he would’ve been fine with anything.

Connor smiled at her, whispering without using words. _‘Yes, it’s okay now.’_

He missed the source of warmth on his chest when she stepped away. She put a hand to her chest, deep, but steady breaths going in and out, but with a disbelieving smile on her face.

“We made it.”

Connor nodded, still testing the waters. “We did.”

“I didn’t fall.”

“You didn’t.”

“I didn’t-” She stopped herself. “Connor, I’m safe!”

Connor let his shoulders drop, she was safe! “You feeling okay?”

“I should be asking _you_ that question!” She flailed her arms. “Did I hold on to you too hard?”

Connor shrugged. Truth be told, he was too busy trying to take care of her that he didn’t even notice her grip on him. Besides, her deathly grip on him was probably one of the most blessed things on the planet. “Don’t worry about it! I was too focused on climbing down that I didn’t even notice how tight you were holding me.” He chuckled lamely.

It was a blatant lie, and he knew it. Either she didn’t catch on, or she chose not to mention it.

Knowing how smart Eerie was, it was probably the latter.

Yeah, probably the latter.

She laughed, almost reaching on the borderline of hysterics as she jumped on him, wrapping her arms around him into a tight hug so full of gratitude and warmth that it was overwhelming. If it weren’t for his quick thinking, he would’ve missed it. Thankfully, he caught her in his arms, spinning her round and round. He laughed right along with her, feeling like he was on top of the freaking world.

“This is why you’re such a good detective.” She praised, her chin resting into his shoulder as he held her waist. “Always focusing on the details that are important.”

_Oh dear, my weakness._

This girl was going to be the death of him and he knew it. Going against every instinct in him to nuzzle her cheek and never let go, he let Eerie go and put her back down. She took a single step back, an adorable shade of pink on her cheeks beneath her orange as her lips curled into a grateful smile. He was absolutely positive that the way she looked now would forever be locked into his memory. She was an iron, and Connor was _branded._

Eerie tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Connor.”

Connor was just about to mumble out a reply. The words were on the tip of his tongue when a familiar white figure snuck into his peripheral vision at the end of the alleyway.

“Eerie, wait-!”

He was too late.

For the smallest fraction of a second, Connor could see the anguish on her face. The pained way her eyes shut, and the way her mouth flew open in shock, as if screaming in silence. Time would’ve frozen still, but all that mattered was in front of him.

And she was hurting.

In a bright, violent flash of golden yellow, she shone.

And all too soon, it disappeared.

Leaving behind nothing.

_Nothing._

Something in Connor fell apart.

“Chloe isn’t here!” The akuma cursed before stomping back into the hotel.

Connor’s mind was a whirlwind of words and thoughts. So saturated and overcoming that it all emulsified into one ugly screech of numb static. None of it ever really registered. Instead, he stood there. A soul that was robbed. Nothing made sense, there was so much happening yet so little to take in. Only words and not their ideas left roaming and poking at his being.

Eerie. Scared. Pain. Smoke. Gone.

Gone? Gone. Eerie? Gone.

_But she was just there a moment ago_

But now she’s not

_What do you mean she’s not_

It means she’s not here anymore

 _Where did she go_ she disappeared _what happened_ she was taken away _taken away?_ Taken away _taken away?_ Taken _she has to be somewhere keep looking_ I saw her disappear with my own eyes _you didn’t look far enough_ she was taken away _taken away_ taken away _Gone_ Gone _Gone gone_ gone.

Gone.

One more word passed through Connor’s mind. He clenched his fist. Sensitive hands be damned.

_Akuma._

He shoved his way into the vent at the side of the building. Wasting no time, he worked purely on instinct. Instinct that was fuelled by a burning in the back of his mind. Whether it was out of pure rage or fear, he didn’t care at the moment. He just knew that the last thing he wanted to do was to be caught dead in that alleyway.

Conscious thought on being put into his direction was secondary. His first mission was taking up all of his cognitive thinking, repeating in his head like a song. A sick, haunting melody that slammed all of his senses with a violent fortissimo loud enough that it’d make even the toughest of people wail.

But Connor wasn’t just human.

No, no.

He was absolutely _feral._

Anyone paying close enough attention to anything above their heads would be able to hear him. All it took was for a little extra bump on his part for his cover to be blown. He took a harsh turn left, his hip banging into the side with a _clang._ It sent an aching throb through his system.

He grit his teeth and marched forward.

Eventually, he reached where he was looking for.

Connor glared down at the ballroom below. He saw enough of what he wanted to see. The villain was there, a cold, calculating look on her face as she used her large wings to hover in the middle of the ballroom just below him. She was facing off across the room against two other bodies that looked familiar in a way, but he was too focused on the way his wrists _begged_ for release to figure out why. He lifted the slitted window out of the way to create an opening, leaving nothing between them anymore.

He leaped.

A feeling of weightlessness took over Connor as he traversed the air, relying purely on instinct as he landed on the villain. Grunting with the effort, he hoisted himself onto her back, he wasn’t sure what he was planning, but he knew one thing. This sucker was going to _pay._

Connor’s first instinct was to try and throw her off. Rocking back and forth, he hoped to gain some progress as the akuma yelled obscenities and profanities, but it fell on deaf ears. It was all tuned out by the rage roaring in his hearing. His flailing worked when he eventually got her to lose her balance far enough to topple forward, sending them both flying before hitting the ground with a _thud._

He quickly kicked himself up and got his feet under him. No way was he going to let his guard down after seeing what she did.

The akuma stood straight again, and he wanted nothing more than to make her squirm.

“Get lost, before I do the same thing to you as I did to your girlfriend!” It screeched.

Like a match to gasoline, Connor flared.

There was absolutely no going back now.

Connor sprinted at her, dodging beam after beam. He didn’t call himself agile, but the distance between them felt both as large and as small as it could’ve been at that moment, No way was he going to be holding back now. Animalistic instinct washed over him, he was able to sense where the beams would go before they were even shot by her. Running high on adrenaline, he dove left and right, making his way towards the monster with everything in him.

 _Eerie wasn’t able to-_ shut up shut up shut UP SHUT UP SHUTUP.

Connor ducked down low, close enough to close the distance between them.

Screaming from the depths of his gut, he curled a fist and shot up.

And used every ounce of weight in his bones as he landed one right in the jaw.

He yelped in pain, the impact sending a stabbing bite through his entire arm.

The akuma stumbled back, reeling from the punch before flopping into the tile of the ballroom. Sounds of a _thud_ reverberated through the silent room, save for Connor’s labored breathing. It was the only sound he was aware of. He clutched his wrist, willing the pain to subside as the daze around him thinned. The spike of adrenaline was beginning to finally wane, and he was able to make sense of some of the static.

He’d never gotten that violent before.

He’d never even had to pull out his gun in all the years he’d been a detective.

What would-

_What would Eerie think?_

What would Eerie think What would Eerie think _whatwouldeeriethinkwhatwouldeeriethink_ -

It repeated so many times in his head that it almost became meaningless.

Save, for the one name that could never.

_Eerie._

The shock finally wore off.

She was _gone._

“Oh God, Eerie-!”

Connor’s legs gave out from under him as his strength left him. He didn’t have any left. Not when he’d just lost her. It was like someone, _something_ took a piece of him, leaving him in the lurch; a fraction of what he used to be. The world shut out around him, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t want to live in the world if it didn’t have her in it.

Not without her.

He was unaware of the zooming ladybugs outside of his reality.

His eyes stung, and Connor was hardly aware of the trails on his face. He brought his hands to his shoulders in a pathetic attempt to hug himself. Trying to find _something, something, something_ to hold onto. But to no avail. He was reshuffled, torn apart and sewn together wrong, too tight to be put together again. So he let himself sob on the floor like the pathetic mess he was. He was. He Was.

The world became a jigsaw puzzle that only had the outer pieces in place, leaving the middle out. The centrepiece missing from its completion.

 _She_ was missing.

A voice pierced through.

“Connor!” It said.

It was familiar. Too familiar.

No, no, it couldn’t be.

That was impossible.

But he dared a look over his shoulder, for fear of never getting the chance of getting to do so ever again.

Orange.

Her dress was orange.

Eerie enveloped him in a tight embrace, his face being pulled into her stomach from the way he knelt.

Connor choked. “How?”

Eerie took his face in her hands and brought his gaze up to look her in the eye. “Connor, what happened?”

Her eyes looked down on him with nothing but worry and concern laced through them.

“Connor.” She repeated. “What happened?”

He brought his arms around her legs and held her as close as he could. And, not for the first time that day, he _cried._

Connor let himself sob into her dress, choking out a few stray words that hardly bore resemblance to understandable english, but he really couldn’t care. The tear stains on the dress didn’t let him anyway. Her scent helped him calm himself as she pet his head, whispering comforting thoughts that almost escaped him forever. Soothing hands ran through his hair as he choked on his own, unsteady breathing.

“I-I thought I-” He choked, letting out another sob. “ _Lost_ you… how?”

Eerie held him tighter. “I was going to ask you that!”

He couldn’t even answer her at the moment. But luckily, he heard a polite voice to his left.

“Excusez-moi.”

Connor turned at the voice. He probably looked like more of a mess than usual, but in Eerie’s arms, he couldn’t care less. The warmth she was giving him was a blessing he never wanted to let go of.

The source of the high-pitched voice turned out to be from a small teenage girl in a red, polka-dotted suit. Much similar to the pattern of a ladybug. Connor recognized her as the hero that was fighting the villain from earlier. From behind her, a boy, probably no older than 16, wore a leather suit and cat ears. He smiled at Connor, giving a polite wave. Connor couldn’t find it in himself to respond, but he appreciated the friendliness nonetheless.

It took a good while for Connor to gather a bearing on himself, but when he did, he was able to get an explanation for what just transpired in the past 30 minutes. As it would turn out, the names of the heroes were Ladybug and Chat Noir, and Connor remembered reading about them when their unit were talking about the akuma phenomenon in Paris. Yet another detail that he forgot about.

Still, something about these heroes felt achingly familiar…

He tried to follow what he could. Which, mind you, was really hard to do given the emotional roller coaster he’d just gone through, as well as living on the butt-end of an adrenaline rush. However, despite the language barrier, he was able to get the gist of what she was saying. As it would turn out, Ladybug had the ability to reverse any damage dealt by an akuma. Including lost lives. Which, actually made a lot of sense. Not only was Paris still intact, but their citizens seemed strangely at ease for a city that was regularly put under attack from a terrorist supervillain.

_Ugh, remind me to do some actual research before doing an overseas case again._

It was usually his job to do that anyway.

The heroes’ swiftly took their departure. Muttering something about ‘running out of time.’ Strange, but not too much from what Connor had gotten used to from working at the unit. If Eerie felt it too, she chose not to mention it. Instead, she elected to look at him with her brow furrowed. Of course she was worried for him. He tried to shoot a smile to help ease her mind.

“Connor, your tie’s crooked.” She said, as if he even cared about that right now. It was a lame excuse to try and offer him some physical comfort, but who was he to call her out on it?

He didn’t mean to worry her. The very _idea_ of losing her just flicked a switch in him, and it made him feel nauseous. The feeling of the way his stomach twisted wouldn’t ever leave him.

But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.

Right now, she was here.

Safe.

Safe and okay.

Connor sniffed, still feeling a bit off-balance, like every single piece of furniture in his house was moved an inch to the left; forever changed. “Heh, her suit kind of reminds me of a pizza.” He sounded nasal from the mucus and tears in his system. It was a dumb joke, but he was trying his best to lighten the mood.

Eerie played along, thankfully. “I know, right? We could call her Pizza-bug.”

“Or buginette.”

“Ha, I get it. Bug… -inette.”

Connor rubbed his eye. “Like Marinette…”

“Reminds me of those kids; Marinette and Adrien….”

They paused, her hands still on his collar.

Two kids, one with dark hair and the other blonde. She was shorter than him, almost by a head. Not only that, but even their voice; the way they spoke…

The veil was as thin as the leather gloves he’d worn down from years of use.

Of course, Eerie came to the same realization. One look at her, and they both gaped at each other at their mutual realization

They were too good at their jobs.

* * *

High.

It was so high.

As far as he could see, there was no ground below them, only a bottomless void of nothingness. Was it actually bottomless? It was so far down that he couldn’t even see where they would land if he let go. The very thought of it made his throat run dry.

He yelped in pain as the strength in his arms started to fail him. Was it cramping? Connor couldn’t tell, he only knew that he wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ let go. Holding on for so long was sending a burning pain through his arm, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on. In his other arm, he was holding her.

The wind whipped around his ears, the sound was like a roaring flame this high up.

His attention was brought back to Eerie.

She was slipping.

He panicked, trying to tighten his hold. No matter how hard he tried to pull her closer, his muscles screamed in protest. His body refused to cooperate, and every inch she slipped felt like another mile he couldn’t take back. Her face was without emotion, devoid of the life that was always there.

His muscles gave out under him.

Connor reached out his hand, trying desperately to get her back to him.

“Eerie!” He screamed, his throat burning at the stress.

The wind whipped at her hair as she fell.

He couldn’t see her face

* * *

Connor shot up, choking on his own breath as he kicked the blanket off of him.

He brought a hand to his chest, but it was still there. Beating, beating, beat, beat, beat.

Any harder and it might’ve burst out of his chest.

He sighed.

_Just a dream._

_A really, really bad dream._

But still a dream.

He turned his head towards the bed across from his. And sure enough, there she was. Her back was turned towards him, and she was all bundled up in the white cover, as peaceful as one could ever be. Connor felt his breathing slow just knowing her presence was next to his. It was almost silent, all sound lost into the night. Except, for a small little sound coming from her that caught his attention.

Oh no.

This was gold.

The few times she (accidentally!) fell asleep in his apartment, he was always the one to go out first. Not only that, but he’d also be the one to be rudely woken up. So he wasn’t aware of this little detail about Eerie that he absolutely was never going to forget.

She snored, the raspy sound sending a much needed smile on his face. Followed by the quietest, faintest, ever so soft… 

“Hoo…”

She kept snoring, quietly hooting in her sleep as he had to restrain himself from biting his finger for fear of hurting his hands.

 _That_ was adorable.

It brought him some comfort.

He brought himself up, unsure of what to do with himself. Glancing at the clock, it read 4:34. It was practically morning, right? He didn’t know, morning was just really, really late night to some, now that he thought about it.

He made his way to the kitchen, deciding to make himself a coffee.

Connor didn’t even like the taste that much, but at least it was _something_ to do. The only reason he ever drank it was for the pick-me-up, or the occasional find while hunting in the trash. Most of the fun of hunting was the process, rather than the actual finds. But then again, the occasional gem here and there would absolutely make his day. Some people (that is, Eerie) would be surprised how many botched orders made their way into the back garbage disposal of a Starbucks.

Flicking the kettle on, he never took his eyes off of it as his thoughts wandered back to his dream. Why did he dream that? Where did it come from? Did it even mean anything? Eerie was safe! Connor had no reason to worry. Ladybug and Chat Noir fixed everything and undid all of the damage, including everyone that was lost. At the end of the day, this was routine. The world kept spinning round, and the sun still rose.

And yet, his hands still shook.

Sighing, he closed his eyes, trying to will the nerves away as he pinched the bridge of his nose. But it was in vain.

 _Tension isn’t remedied by more tension,_ he told himself.

“Connor?”

Connor’s eyes snapped open, not expecting the sudden presence. “Eerie, what are you doing awake?”

She shot him a look, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded, realizing the slight hypocrisy at his question. “Right. I uh, had a bad dream.”

_Yeah right, ‘bad dream’ is putting it lightly._

He told the annoying voice in his head to shut up very politely.

Eerie yawned and tilted her head, still clearly tired. “You want to talk about it?”

Connor looked back at the kettle in front of him. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to unpack all of that. Plus, he didn’t want to keep Eerie up any longer than she needed to be. She deserved her rest after what happened today, after all.

But, he wasn’t so sure if it was a good idea to keep it all bottled up.

He sighed. Eerie was the best partner he ever had. He trusted her more than anyone else in his life, so if there was any one person he’d want to confide in, Eerie would be his first choice.

After pouring his drink (the awful, instant kind), he followed Eerie and sat down in one of the rickety wooden stools their room offered. He shifted in his seat, hoping for some sort of comfort but it never came.

He told her everything, about how terrified he was, hanging high above a ground they couldn’t see. He told her about how lifeless she felt in his arms. About how weak and useless he felt when she fell out of his grip. How the last thing he saw before she disappeared was a tiny speck of orange that was her, and Eerie listened attentively, never breaking eye contact as he recounted every aching, painful detail of his dream. Down to the color and hue of the sky. It was so validating, to know that even through his own, weird, twisted dreams she never judged him for it. She’d never, he knew that much about her.

He’d just finished when she put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a light squeeze. “You’re okay now, Connor.”

He shook his head, not knowing if he could believe her. “I don’t know, I guess it’s just…”

Connor took a deep breath, trying to gain some semblance of how he could verbalise what he was trying to say. “When I lost you today, you disappeared. _Right in front of me._ ”

She nodded understandingly, signalling him to continue. “A-and I know it’s kind of cliche, but… it was like when- like, I couldn’t do anything _about it_ and I felt so helpless and _lost._ ”

Connor choked. “It didn’t even feel _real,_ ” he said, wiping tears, “e-even now, sometimes I just-”

The dam broke, and he stopped fighting the tears.

He couldn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he fell forward and hunched into Eerie, sobbing into her shoulder. He pulled her closer to him. He couldn’t lose her again. Not after what just happened today. There were so many things he wanted to tell her but was too much of a coward to say. Too many memories he wanted to make with her. She responded by wrapping an arm around his torso, and bringing her other hand to his hair. It was simple, but perfect enough for what he needed as he cried in front of her and in her arms.

“Shh, it’s okay, Connor.” She whispered, rubbing circles around his hair and ears. “Shh.”

He could only whimper a response. The sound was muffled under the fabric of her shirt, but he was too busy crying into her shoulder to care. His breathing was ragged, letting out weeps and sobs that he didn’t even notice were building up inside him.

Little by little, he cried it away. It felt like a weight was slowly being lifted off of him. He didn’t even know it was there, but once it started, he couldn’t stop it. And the quiet, hushed assurances from Eerie slowly brought him back to earth. Every tear felt like a little bit of the painful weight on his shoulders were being taken off, one by one. He even felt a bit lighter. Eventually, the tears from before were replaced by deep, shaky breathing. As if he’d just run a marathon.

Connor steadily brought himself back up again, never breaking eye contact. Carefully, he took off his white gloves. The soft ones he used for sleeping. Looking her in the eye for permission, he raised his hand so it was just a few inches from her face.

“Can I…?”

Eerie looked at his hand, pausing for a brief moment before bringing her gaze back to him.

She smiled softly. “Okay.”

Ever so slowly, he brought his hand closer to cup her cheek. The skin lightly brushed at the contact, but he didn’t want to push it any further. He gently grazed the skin, as if she might disappear again. Through his hands, he could feel her. All of her. And he couldn’t find it in himself to ever bring his hand away from her. He held his hand on the side of her face, not daring to move it. Instead, he settled to simply lean forward and rest his forehead against hers.

Eerie took his other hand in both of hers.

The intimacy of it all was not lost on Connor. But his bare hand still felt so safe in hers. No matter how bone-crushing her hold could be, it felt good to be in her hands. It felt _right._ Like this was how it was supposed to be among them. Hand in hand, two souls existing and choosing each other.

“You’re real.” He breathed, voice barely even a whisper as he carefully moved his thumb in tiny circles across the side of her face.

“I’m real.” She responded

Connor shifted in his seat so he could move a little closer.

“You’re here.”

“I’m here.”

“You’re okay.” He said, more for him than for her.

She nodded, leaning into his touch.

“I’m okay.”

Finally, _finally,_ he let his shoulders down as the smallest smile found its way onto his face. He slumped ungracefully onto Eerie once again as she took him in her arms. Except this time, he wasn’t a crying mess.

He followed by wrapping his arms around her figure, his naked hands resting on the small of her back.

Connor felt it before when she let him hold her face, and he felt it now when he was holding her waist.

He felt all of it.

Comfort.

Unconditional, unrestrained comfort.

And he took every single ounce of it, thankful that such a person as Eerie would be the one out of everyone to give him it. He couldn’t imagine who else would do a better job at being his rock when he needed it.

He was so glad that he was blessed with her.

Connor didn’t touch his coffee that night.

He went back to sleep.

Dreamless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my goodness it's the obligatory chouette hand holding we made it folks.
> 
> it's only gonna spiral from here
> 
> (also sorry about the angst but sometimes you just gotta add a bit of s p i c e every now and then yknow?)


	5. Partnerversary/Bath-Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there's a description of a panic attack in the following chapter. If that is something you'd wish to avoid, I'd advise skipping to the next line break and keep reading from there.
> 
> With that said, enjoy! :)

The Agreste mansion was a huge house.

No, the word ‘huge’ didn’t really do it justice.

It was  _ massive. _

Towering walls surrounded the building, feeling clean and smooth like they’d just been cut the day before. Limestone, probably. It felt almost sterile under Connor’s touch, towering way above than was reasonable, in Connor’s humble opinion. Almost so much so that the mansion behind it would almost be unseen save for the very top of the roof. Out front, there was an iron gate that reminded him of a cage.

It seemed… closed off. Not just that, but it was as if whoever lived there was trying to hide something. Something or  _ someone. _

Connor hoped it was neither.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed the buzzer.

He waited for a short moment before almost getting smacked in the face by a camera that looked like it was ripped from a cheesy spy movie. To top that off, he almost missed what the tinny voice said from out of the speaker. But of course, as the attentive detective he was, he brought himself back to his senses. French may not be his forte, but he sure did try his hardest where it counted.

_ ‘Who are you… What is your business…’ _

Alright, so far so good.

Connor responded in the best french he could. Sure enough, the vowels didn’t quite roll off the tongue as well as he hoped it would, feeling awkward coming out of his own mouth. He fished in his pocket for the document that stated he was on business as a detective working a case, hoping whoever was on the other side of the eyesore would catch his gist.

The voice didn’t respond, it only looked back down at the paper in his hand, looked back at him, then recoiled back into the wall. As if it was never there in the first place.

Sure, alright.

He only came here to follow up a lead Eerie (thankfully) picked up while they were there at the ball. He was still a bit shaken from yesterday, but thankfully, he got through whatever funk he was in earlier that morning. It was hard enough doing it by himself, so Eerie’s help was something he’d forever be in debt to her for.

Connor waited for a moment before the gates in front of him creaked open. The low groan of metal working against metal was enough to make him twitch. Walking slowly, he approached the front door.

There, he was greeted by a woman, her face expressionless. Her voice was stoic. It made him think about Eerie, and what she would’ve been if her staunch insistence on professionalism all those months ago were exaggerated to a point where it would’ve been ridiculous. Where would’ve been the fun in that?

He couldn’t imagine fun, quick-witted, focused Eerie being  _ anything _ like the woman in front of him now.

“Mr. Agreste will be with you in a few minutes.”

He was probably going to need to pick up his french again if he wanted to get by around here. Just being here was hard enough, let alone having to question a few people.

Questioning Gabriel Agreste went about as well as one would expect. That is, how well it could go when Connor could barely speak enough to communicate. The language barrier was more suffocating than ever before, no thanks to the other man’s short, stabbing answers. The whole time, he looked at Connor with a slight squint in his eye, and it was unreadable to Connor. He also didn’t miss the way the imposing man tensed his jaw on the occasional question. Hopefully, Connor could just chalk it up to him being nervous underneath that cold facade.

Thankfully, he could understand more than he could speak. But still, Connor was pulling at scraps, only able to get half-ideas. Enough to put together a theory or two, but not enough to nail anything to the wall just yet.

So, he fell back on good ‘ol reliable.

As he stood up to shake the man’s hand, he made sure to hold on long enough to get a gauge of him through his gloves.

Staring Gabriel in the eye, he made note of how his grip was firm, even going up and down in practiced form. One, two, three.

He focused his attention on his hands while keeping eye contact.

_ Suspicion. Paranoia. Secrecy. _

Connor left the room after politely bidding farewell.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw an expected, welcome sight at the front door. He was probably just back from fencing practice, judging by the funny white suit. It was a wonder no one else in Paris figured out his identity when his face was quite literally, plastered all over the city. The masks didn’t exactly hide much, and on top of that, their voices were a dead giveaway to anyone who listened close enough.

“Connor!” Adrien beamed. “What brings you here?”

Ah, the sunshine child! Connor stretched his hands behind his back. “Work stuff, just questioned your old man for a bit- Ow!” He made his way down the stairs, shaking his hands from the pain that stung his hands when he stretched them just a  _ little _ too much.

“You… questioned my dad?”

He shook his hands, trying to will the sting to go away. “That I did.”

You’d think that after having soft hands for so long, Connor would learn to treat them with a little more care. But nope, he could still be as rough as ever with them sometimes, and it annoyed him to no end. His mind was forgiving, but the many, many nerve endings in his hands were most definitely not. At least Eerie could actually  _ use _ her hands. If he had her hands, he’d use them for all sorts of stuff! Why did she even insist on abstaining from using them?

Connor was pulled out of his internal scolding when he heard uneven, loud footsteps, as if someone was on the verge of collapsing.

Looking up, he caught sight of Adrien stumbling over to the railing, looking just about ready to pass out.

He sprinted down the stairs, almost tripping over himself as he kneeled down to Adrien so he was at eye-level with him. He was sitting on the floor, sweat pooling at his forehead. If the way his eyes blew open were any indication. Just the sight of him like this was enough to make Connor’s heart jump in his throat. He could only hope that he’d be able to help Adrien through this. Slowly, Connor tentatively placed a hand on his lap, trying not to startle him.

He hated how he could feel it pulse, even through his gloves.

How he could recognize the feeling almost instantly.

Hated how it was all too familiar to him.

Connor shook his head. It wasn’t the time to be thinking of that right now.

_ Okay MacThomas. Short, simple, sentences. _

He could do that, right?

“Do you want me to get your dad for you?”

Adrien shook his head. Okay, Connor could work with that.

_ Try to slow his breathing. _

Connor spoke slowly, but clearly. “Okay Adrien, can you count to ten for me?”

Adrien nodded, taking a deep breath.

“One…” He muttered, barely coherent.

“Two….”

Adrien breathed in again.

“Three…”

He kept counting, making it all the way up to ten before Connor asked him to go back to 0. Except this time, to do it in 2’s. By the time Adrien finished, his breathing was slower. Still labored, but slower.

“Good job bud,” Connor tried to give his best reassuring smile, “I’m proud of you.”

He glued himself to the spot. One hand on his bent knee while the other was on Adrien’s lap. He was still wary of himself as to not intrude on Adrien’s personal space. That would be an absolute no go. He’d already made enough progress de-escalating the situation.

Connor brought up his free hand, bringing it to press against his own chest.

“Concentrate on your breathing. Stay with me here.”

That seemed to do the trick, since Adrien’s eyes were practically glued on him now. His labored breaths coming in and out by the second, and Connor didn’t know whether to feel proud or absolutely devastated at his gaze.

Connnor tried to breathe with him, making a show of the way his chest rose and fell with each inhale and exhale. The intensity from before wasn’t as bad as it was now. Still there, but not as loud. It wasn’t like he expected it to go away entirely anyway; that was a power he unfortunately, did not have.

Enough attacks with his sister made him consider the thought more than once.

* * *

The apartment was empty when Connor got back.

It was expected, what with Eerie making her way to the Tsurugi’s residence to do the same thing he did. Eerie’s usual spot-on intuition aside, there was definitely something up with the high society families of Paris. Three private, isolated structures that just so happened to all be in the same circle? All the time? From what he was able to understand from Mr. Agreste, the kids were all shoved into each other's company; away from the rest of their peers.

_ That doesn’t just happen. _ Connor thought.

Was that why Adrien had an attack as soon as Connor told him he’d question his dad? Did he know something he didn’t? He didn’t like to think about Adrien being in the middle of something as messy as a high-society dirty money ring. There was definitely  _ some _ sort of web going on. If it went any deeper than that, he and Eerie were going to figure it out.

Connor pulled out his phone. When the screen flashed to life, he was greeted by the welcome sight of his wallpaper. A selfie of him and Eerie they took to send her mom. The way her eyes creased slightly under her wide, open-mouthed smile sent a fuzzy warmth through him. Everytime he looked at it, he got the same butterflies as he did when they first took the photo. (Which, given how nervous his smile was in the picture, was probably  _ very _ obvious.) Did she think of him while he was away from her too?

What were her thoughts of him about?

Connor looked at the date on his phone.

_ Saturday. _

His gaze fell on the still-unopened loaf of sliced bread on the table. Wholemeal, just how she liked it.

_ Now, that’s an idea! _

He attacked the pantry, looking for the ingredients he needed. If he couldn’t find any, he’d have to make a quick trip to the grocery store. There was absolutely no way he couldn’t go through with this idea now, it was too perfect!

Thankfully, the blessed items made themselves visible after only a few seconds of searching, practically begging to be smushed into a delectable sandwich. He made quick work of getting everything into place before getting started, spreading a thin layer of tuna onto a slice. Connor made sure to get the fish-to-chip ratio  _ just _ right before topping the whole affair off with a second slice of bread. Eerie liked a lot of crispy tater to her fish.

_ ‘It’s perfect!’ _ his Internal Eerie Voice Said.

“Thank you, ambiguous voice that sounds like Eerie!” Connor said to himself, hoping that it was, actually perfect. As he got to work on a second sandwich, he hummed a song he heard a few days back. It was a cheesy song that he and Eerie had a good laugh about before he almost crashed them into the station.

He chuckled at the memory, almost spilling a few chips in the process.

At the sound of the door clicking open, he made it a point to sing a little louder.

Eerie groaned from across the counter, putting down some groceries that he didn’t notice she had. “That song is so  _ bad. _ ”

Connor only sang louder, basically feeding off of her annoyance.

“Stop! It’s getting old!”

Connor served a plate in front of her. “Please, Mr. Bazzi’s masterpiece could never get old.”

He was finishing putting the ingredients away when he saw the way her eyes flew open.

Oh.

Connor put his hands up, her eyes were still fixed on the offending plate in front of her. “We don’t have to do Sandwich Saturdays if you don’t want to! I get it, this was something you did with your dad, I shouldn’t have imposed on that. Here, I’ll just put it away-”

Eerie gripped his hand.

“Connor…”

He gulped. Her eyes didn’t meet his as she made her way towards him. Connor was already bracing himself for the rejection of a Saturday he was so desperately looking forward to for the past 10 minutes. He should’ve asked her first, he should’ve asked her first he should’ve-

His thoughts came to a halt when she hugged him, burying her face in his neck.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

Connor paused, feeling like he was floating.

He pulled her tight, close to him. Not even resisting the urge to nuzzle his nose in her hair.

Connor played with the hair that poked out from under her bow. “So… Sandwich Saturdays?”

Eerie pulled away, looking to the side. Her smile was soft, delicate, like it could shatter at any moment. Yet, it still reached her eyes nonetheless. He loved seeing her happy. Connor would’ve made a thousand fish-and-chip sandwiches to see her smile.

And a thousand more to make her happy.

Eerie nodded. “Please.”

When he turned and sat, Connor didn’t notice the light pink in her cheeks.

They settled themselves on the stools, and Connor made sure to get a good amount into his bite. He had to admit, it tasted amazing. Why in the world did salty potato chip taste so good when it was complimented by a thin layer of overly-processed seafood? He might’ve gotten a few crumbs on his mouth, but it was nothing he couldn’t take care of. He brought his tail to his face, making sure to wipe thoroughly before licking it off of the fur.

“Can you not do that while we’re eating?”

Connor looked her in the eye, raising a brow as he licked the last crumb. She laughed, much to his delight.

Taking another bite of her sandwich, she spoke. “Do you know what today is?” She mumbled through the starchy bread in her mouth.

Connor scratched his head. “Saturday?” He asked, which was obvious, but probably not what she was talking about. Still, it was worth a try.

She swallowed. “Well duh, but I got a little something at the grocery store today.”

“I can see that.” He gestured to the bags that lay on their pseudo-dining table.

At that signal, Eerie made her way to the bag and fished inside it. What did she buy? Chocolate? Flowers? Chocolate flowers?

Unlikely, but a man could dream.

After a few moments of teasing suspense, she pulled out a bottle of champagne.

“Happy Partner-versary!”

Connor stood up. “I- what?”

Eerie chuckled bashfully, holding the bottle in both hands. “Well, um... a year ago today, I was hired as your intern, and I thought a little celebration was due. Since, y’know, you’re kind of…” She trailed off, before looking him in the eye. “The best boss I’ve ever had”

He paused.

She wanted to celebrate their Partner-versary?

As in, Eerie Escamilla, one of the best things that have ever happened to him, wanted to celebrate the time they spent together? That she valued their time together enough that she deemed it worthy over a bottle of fancy french champagne?

He wrapped his arms around her torso and picked her up, lifting her feet off the floor. He didn’t want to ever let go. “Eerie, you’re the best!”

God, this girl was amazing. She was amazing in how fun and awesome she was. Amazing in how smart and cunning she was. In how through her flaws, there was beauty. Where some would see a stuck up goody-two-shoes, he would see dedication and persistence; a drive that only Eerie Escamilla could have. When she was weak, then she was strong. She smelled pretty. She looked pretty. There wasn’t even any use denying it anymore.

Was he in love with her?

Eerie cocked her brow at him. “Just don’t get too carried away and get wasted on me, alright?”

“Of course not!” He laughed, still looking up at the woman in his arms. “What kind of respectable detective would I be if I didn’t?”

“The kind of respectable detective that gets wasted on the job?”

“Ding ding ding! You got it, boss.”

“Ooh, what do I win?”

“A masterpiece of a raccoon man as your work partner.”

Eerie cringed. “Eww, dirty filthy raccoon man. I don’t want it.”

“Nup! Too bad, you’re stuck with him. Tail, ears, and all.” At that, Eerie laughed and scratched behind his ears, and he hummed at the bliss that was her touch. She always knew the best ways to pet him, and unlike her, he embraced it fully, so ha! Winning! “He’s also waiting to celebrate your Partner-versary.”

“He’s gonna need to put me down first, then.” She raised her brow, looking at Connor expectantly. If he was being honest with himself, he was perfectly content to be holding Eerie forever. It wasn’t like they were in a hurry or anything. He sent her his best pout in hopes of convincing her, but she only hardened her gaze. “Connor…”

Darn, did she put up a hard bargain. Reluctantly, he put Eerie back on the ground, making sure to make a fit of how much he didn’t want to. But all she did was smirk at him! Ugh, the audacity.

“Thank you.” She nodded, like how an owner thanked their pet for being a good boy. Which he was, thank you very much. He was very much a good boy. “Now, time to crack this thing open.”

Eerie pointed the bottle away from her and away from the counter.

Towards their beds.

“Eerie, wait-!”

He was too late. At his sudden exclamation, she gripped the bottle too hard and the neck snapped under her grip with a loud, high pitched  _ crack! _ The drink came out the front, foaming and spewing out across the room from the new cavity. Small shards of glass fell to the floor as their sleeping places were covered in the alcohol, the clink of glass on tile being the cherry on top. It carried on for a few more seconds, them watching in dumb, silent shock before it pathetically slowed its onslaught into a drippy, drippy mess.

They both stared at the champagne-covered mess before them. Eerie brought what was left of the bottle to her chest, not quite looking him in the eye When she turned to face him, her eyes were on the ground, fixated on the glass. Oh no, her hair was sagging down  _ oh god please don’t please don’t look so sad- _

“Sorry, boss.”

Connor had to resist the urge to take her in his arms again. He already hugged her twice, was a third time too much? Gah, that wasn’t important now!

“Hey, hey, look at me,” Connor brought his head down and curled a finger under her chin, “don’t worry about it. It was both of our faults, anyway.”

He took the bottle out of her hands, taking a good bite out of it before setting it behind him on the counter; out of sight. Cruncy, glassy texture. Flavor was sub-par, but worth a shot anyway. “In fact, this gives me an idea. I’ll take care of cleaning the bed sheets, and you can pick up the glass, hm?” He’d been meaning to try something like this for a while now, so what better time than the present?

Eerie looked up, muttering. “Why can’t you pick up the glass?”

Connor just raised a brow, lifting up a gloved hand.

“Right, sorry.”

He winked at her. “You’re alright.”

Connor started folding the sheets, unaware of the way Eerie’s legs felt weak all of a sudden.

* * *

If someone told Eerie from 30 minutes ago that she’d be in a bathtub, covered in an array of blankets in pillows with Connor, she would’ve laughed.

But then, there she was, all nice, warm and snug. It had  _ no right _ being that comfy. It wasn’t even all that large. Sure, it was a bit fancy, but not in a someone-could-sleep-here way. But Connor, being as resourceful as he was, turned their bathtub into a sleeping paradise that could somehow fit both of them into it. Miraculously, there was enough room for both of them to lie comfortably yet still be covered in blankets and pillows they’d salvaged from his (their) fort. The warmth coming from both of them combining into a beautiful cocoon of comfort that she could live in forever.

_ Mmm, cozy. _

She didn’t imagine herself sleeping in a bathtub with Connor tonight, but for some reason, Eerie found herself oddly at ease from being so close to him. Besides, it wasn’t the only time they had to share a bed (Jemina made sure of that very often). And though he was extremely warm and cozy, it raised some questions about their relationship at the back of her mind. Like exactly  _ how _ in the world she was able to grow close enough to her boss of all people to the point of being able to  _ hold his hand. _ Something not just reserved for co-workers. In the back of her mind, there was more, much more. Like soft soil begging to be dug. But like all of her hunches, she elected to ignore it, and focus on much more important things.

Other things being the news videos on her phone, Connor’s arm around her, the battle footage from yesterday, Connor’s breathing, Connor’s tail brushing the side of her leg…

_ Focus, Eerie! _

She steeled herself, willing herself to watch the news footage on their phone. After their accidental discovery about them yesterday, Eerie wanted to know what exactly the two teens were up to. Eerie would be lying if she said she wasn’t worried about sweet little Marinette fighting supervillains. On a regular basis, no less! How did she even manage herself? Poor girl must’ve been so stressed having to balance her personal and superhero life. Sure, being part-owl was hard on her as a teen, but being a superhero? That would’ve just been ridiculous!

But then, like a flashlight shining on a new piece of crucial evidence, some important details came to attention once they connected some dots that desperately needed connecting.

“So…” Eerie drawled, “Marinette is head over heels in love with Adrien.”

Connor nodded, stroking his chin. “And Chat Noir-”

“Who is Adrien.” Eerie finished.

“...Is completely in love with Ladybug.”

“-Whom of which is also Marinette.”

The two paused, digesting the information. Slowly, the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle clicked into place. Somehow, through some kind of twisted turn of events, the two superheroes were stuck dancing, tripping over their own feet. It was a mess, really.

A giant, hormone-induced romantic mess.

They both groaned.

“They’re stuck in a love square!” Eerie flailed her arms.

“Ugh, I  _ know. _ ”

“It can’t get any stupider than this.”

They paused, looking at each other.

Eerie hummed. “Actually, y’know what. It probably could.”

“So…” Connor said, all too smug. “About playing matchmaker with those kids…”

“Oh, we are definitely going to get involved now.”

“Yep.”

“ _ Mhm. _ ”

And with that, it was settled.

Whatever mess these two lovable kids were in, it needed to be helped. Eerie didn’t usually like to meddle, but at the sight of seeing Ladybug laughing off yet another one of Chat’s advances, there needed to be  _ some _ kind of intervention. It wasn’t exactly meddling, but more like… friendly encouragement. Yeah, friendly encouragement! Maybe a slight nudge in the right direction or two wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

Connor spoke up first. “So what’s the plan, then?”

“I’m thinking about the good ol’ divide and conquer.” Their time together as detectives meant that they had a few fallback strategies they could use whenever they needed to get a few things done. This wasn’t exactly detective work, but the practice was almost the same, just for a different reason.

“Ooh, now that’s  _ very _ forward.”

Eerie smirked. “Don’t worry, nothing too rash. We’re just going to help them realize something they already know. You said that Adrien’s already got it bad for her, right? Marinette her, that is.”

“Yes ma’am. He’s just trying to hide it in denial.” He grabbed another bar of soap to munch on, and Eerie chose to ignore it. There were very clearly, much more important things to worry about than their soon-to-be shortage of soap. “And, judging by the way she acts around him when they’re in the suits, she’s feeling  _ something _ for the cat too. It’s subtle, but it’s definitely there”

Eerie looked back at her phone. “What? How are you so sure?”

“Look at her body language when they’re not fighting.” He scrubbed the player forward; after the fight. “She’s leaning into his space subconsciously. Also, listen to the way she speaks when he’s nearby as opposed to when he’s off doing something else.”

“She really lets herself loose around him…” Eerie whispered. It was true; their chemistry as a superhero duo was undeniable. Even to Connor and Eerie, they could tell they’d been best friends since the beginning.

“Right as you always are, Escamilla.”

Eerie was absolutely  _ not _ feeling butterflies at the way he praised her using her surname.

_ He wanted to play like that, did he? _

She looked at him, trying her best to look absolutely unphased. “Excellent detective work, MacThomas.”

Connor choked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> of course i had to include the bath-bed, who do you think i am?


	6. "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8,096 word chapter ah jeez ah jeez ah jeez-

Eerie liked to live life in the little things. Sure, Connor was the one to always pay attention to detail when it came to working on cases, but work was work. Besides, a nice sunny day at the park felt exactly like what she needed. The grass was so, so green.

Just earlier that day, she’d texted Marinette to meet her at the park. The girl deserved to know that her secret identity was compromised. The only issue was trying to come up with a way she could actually tell the girl.

Eerie came up with a few different ways to break the news, but no matter what, it always seemed to end the same way. With Marinette freaking out and toppling over the park bench. Sighing, Eerie hid her face in her hands. Maybe she could somehow make herself more like Connor and be more charming? No, that’d just be ridiculous. That’d mean probably going into the trash and ‘hunting’ for food.

She was brought out of her train of thought when the innocent sound of laughter tickled her ears.

Eerie looked up to see a child giggling happy at her from his stroller. She had to stop herself from cooing when she waved back at the baby. When she accidentally made eye contact with his mother, she felt a rising panic paralyze her.

But, instead of the usual reaction, the red-haired woman just smiled, and carried on her merry way. She smiled as she said something in french to her child that Eerie couldn’t quite catch.

_ That was… surprisingly normal. _

Were the people of Paris just used to dealing with the abnormal? It almost made Eerie wish that the same friendly attitude was present where she lived back home. A small feeling of longing made itself home in her chest, but she quickly banished it. She wasn’t alone now. She had the cursed unit; her family.

_ And Connor. _

“Eerie, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Marinette chirped from across the bench. Since when did she get there?

“Oh?” Eerie looked at her, there was worry in her blue eyes. “I’m okay, don’t worry about it.”

Eerie smiled. “I guess I’m just feeling… homesick, in a way?”

Marinette gasped. “Oh no! I’m so sorry. I mean, I can’t say I’ve ever been away from home before but I’m sure I can listen if you want to talk about it!”

“Don’t worry yourself, Marinette. It’s not too bad. Well, not yet. Not while I’m here with Connor, at least.” Wherever he was, he’d take a little bit of her home with him. It was a given, since she spent so much time around him at work. Maybe that was why she didn’t feel lonely around him.

Marinette leaned in closer, a glint of mischief in her eye that definitely wasn’t there before.

“Say, you talk an awful lot about Connor.”

“Of course I do, he’s my partner.” It seemed only natural since she spent most of her waking hours around him. He’d be on her mind a lot, right? That sounded about normal. She just thought a lot about work, and in effect, Connor as well.

“Partner in what way?” Marinette smirked.

Eerie creased her brow. “Marinette, what are you implying?”

She just shrugged, as if she was innocent. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“I don’t like Connor in a romantic way, if that’s what you mean.” She said, stressing the ‘don’t’. No way, that would just be so-  _ unprofessional _ and weird. Besides, Connor was an actual garbage man. He even pickpocketed people at times! Granted, it was usually suspects he stole from, but it was still underhanded! Not to mention his diet. She’d never actually minded it all too much, but the point still stood.

“I never said anything about romance.” Marinette raised her eyebrows in a provoking manner. “You must be hearing things.”

Eerie poked her in the belly, causing Marinette to giggle. “Ooh, you’re sneaky!” Whatever game Marinette was playing at, Eerie was determined to beat her at it.

Marinette fluffed her pigtails. “Thank you, it’s one of my many admirable traits.”

“Oh, are they now?” Eerie raised a brow and leaned back on the bench.

“Definitely. The situations I have gotten myself out of are  _ ridiculous. _ ”

“Like how you stole Adrien’s phone to delete an embarrassing voicemail  _ you _ sent?”

Marinette blanched. “Stop.”

Eerie continued, enjoying herself way too much. “Or how you pretended to confess to a statue of Adrien, who turned out to be Adrien himself, just pretending to be one?”

“I can’t believe I told you all of that!” Marinette shot back, groaning into her hands, looking genuinely upset. Okay, maybe Eerie took it a bit  _ too _ far.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Eerie hushed. She gently pulled Marinette’s hands away from her face and brought her gaze back towards herself; a trick she learned from Connor. “I think it’s cute, actually. You clearly care about him.” Eerie resisted the urge to add ‘more than you might realize’.

“You really think so?” Marinette looked up at Eerie. She sounded so delicate that it pulled at her chest.

“Sure I do.” Eerie squeezed her shoulder, hoping that Marinette would find it comforting. “If anything, I admire that kind of dedication.”

Marinette’s gaze locked onto her eyes, and Eerie felt like she could see straight through her. It was truly amazing how this girl wore her heart on her sleeve so easily. Just by the slightest movement, Eerie could tell that her head was running a mile a minute. The only problem was wondering what those thoughts were.

She took Eerie into a hug, hiding her face in her chest. “Thank you, Eerie.”

Eerie wasted no time wrapping her arms around her small figure.

“It’s no problem, Marinette.” She held her tighter, nuzzling her face in her hair.

Eerie kept the girl in her arms for a few more moments, wanting to keep her there for as long as she could. She felt so small in her hold, and Eerie wanted nothing more than to keep her there.

Eventually though, Marinette pulled away. Her attention was brought to Eerie’s hands.

“Can I…?” Marinette hesitated, not knowing how to word her request.

Eerie nodded, holding out her hands.

She had to admit, it was a little strange letting herself be so vulnerable about her powers in front of someone. But Marinette was nothing if not sincere in her curiosity about them. If anything, Marinette showed more respect about it than she was used to. Eerie had her fair share of cold glares and side-eyes. By contrast, Marinette took her hands in her own, handling them with genuine care and compassion. It was kind of adorable how she was being so gentle with her vices, which would’ve probably crushed her own hands if she ever wanted it to. Not that she’d ever.

“They’re so cool!”

Eerie tried not to flush under her praise. “I’m glad someone thinks so.”

Marinette looked at her talons. “It’s true! It’s like, they’re uniquely yours.”

Something seemed to warm inside her at that. It was something she heard a lot coming from Connor, but it was different coming from someone else. It was refreshing, in a way. To know that someone outside of her unit thought that her differences were something to be celebrated rather than hidden.

It was something she was trying to change about her thinking.

Marinette brought both of their hands down on the bench. “What else can they do?”

Eerie hummed, scouring the ground.

“Here, see this rock?” Marinette nodded, and Eerie clenched the muscles in her hand. There was a certain threshold she focused on. Where the energy stopped becoming human and became something more.

The stone broke under her grip with a  _ crack. _

Marinette gaped in open-mouthed shock. “No  _ way. _ ”

“Yes way.” Eerie crossed her arms and puffed her chest in pride.

“That - and I cannot stress this enough - was awesome.”

Eerie beamed. Why did impressing Marinette send a rush through her? She wasn’t exactly sure why, but it wasn’t like she was against it.

“Okay, I’m going to try something else, but you have to promise me not to freak out.” Eerie pointed a finger at Marinette. In response, Marinette put a hand up and crossed her heart.

Eerie’s gaze scoured around them, making sure no one was paying any sort of attention to them.

“Alright, here goes…“

Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned her head. Even now, it still felt strange to do it despite having been able to do so for so long. Granted, she didn’t do it too often but the feeling was still there. She stretched her neck to the right as far as she could before she spun back, shrugging her shoulders.

Marinette, however, was absolutely silent.

_ Yikes, was I too much? _

Eerie was just about to apologize for scaring the poor girl before she was being shaken back and forth by the shoulders. The world seemed to be thrown upside down as her senses came to a crashing halt as Marinette spoke.

“That was the most insane thing I’ve ever seen!” Thankfully, she let go of her shoulders and instead opted to intertwine their fingers in front of her.

Marinette gasped. “What if I was like you? Like, with the animal powers and stuff? Ah, I bet it would be so much fun!”

It felt like an eternity before she was able to come back to her senses from the violent movement, but when she finally came to, Eerie imagined what Marinette might look like if she was ‘more like her’. Would her hair change? What about her eyes? They were such a pretty shade of blue, Eerie wasn’t sure if it would be fair to take that away from her. Eerie imagined what it would be like if there was a colored mask on her face similar to her own…

_ Oh. Right. _

Eerie chuckled sheepishly. “What about ladybug themed powers?”

That seemed to catch her attention. Marinette stopped jumping in her seat, instead looking at her like she’d grown a head.

Marinette shook her head, like she couldn’t hear her properly. “Sorry, w-what did you say?”

Argh, did she really have to drop the bomb on her now? There were much more tactful ways to go about this!

Eerie sighed, she might as well go along with it now that she’d said it.

“You heard me, Marinette.”

Marinette spluttered. “But- what are you-  _ what? _ ”

It was now or never.

“Welllll…” Eerie began. “After the whole akuma fiasco the other day, I maybe… kind of… sort of figured out that you’re Ladybug?”

She didn’t respond. At least, not verbally. Marinette’s face was doing that thing again. That thing where there was clearly something she wanted to say but she didn’t know how to say it. Either that, or she was trying to find out how to say it without screaming or dying. Or both.

For Eerie, it was sometimes both.

Marinette leaned in, almost knocking their foreheads together.

“Eerie, you have to promise me, for the good of Paris no one else can know  _ please- _ ”

“-I won’t tell anyone.” Eerie interrupted, holding up both hands in front of her. “The last thing I would want is to go against your safety. I know a thing or two about secret identities, if you know what I mean.”

At that, Marinette let out a sigh of relief. It was well deserved too. Eerie couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a burden on her shoulders all the time like that. Surely, it must’ve been exhausting. Eerie wanted nothing more than to help share that weight. She may not have powers capable of saving a city, but she could lend an ear where it counted.

Eerie wrapped an arm around her hunched back, resting a hand on her shoulder and holding her close. “So no one knows? Not even your parents?”

Marinette sighed. “No one must know. It’s too dangerous.” The grim tone in her words was a sharp contrast to the bright one before. She didn’t say much, but from the words she didn’t say, she said everything.

“Is that why you were so upset when I found out?”

Marinette nodded.

“It’s alright.” Eerie assured. “Besides, just give it a few weeks, and I’ll be right across the sea. Back in the good ole’ U.S. of A.” She cringed at how she said it, but it seemed to do the trick. Marinette lightened, letting out a light chuckle.

She fiddled with her hands before looking up to Eerie. “I know this sounds totally out of left field, but would you happen to have a spare bow?”

Eerie tilted her head. “I think I do…” She shuffled in her bag before she pulled one out. “here!”

It was a small one, nowhere near as big as the ones she usually wore. The material was pink with white, micro polka-dots littered throughout it. And on one side, a beautiful print of a hot flower that looked like it just bloomed for spring; ready to take on the world.

She held out her hand. “Can I try something?”

“Sure.” Eerie nodded and gave the bow to her.

Marinette admired the bow before untying her hair out of their usual pigtails, and used her hands to guide it past her shoulders. The thought didn’t pass Eerie’s mind before, but she looked amazing with her hair down. Marinette took one last look at the little bow before attaching it to the side, close to where Eerie’s own was.

“Marinette.” Eerie said, “You look stunning with your hair like that.”

She flushed at the compliment. Did she really not get compliments often? Marinette seemed like the kind of girl that had boys lined up at her feet. “Thanks, it’s something I wanted to try.”

“Why don’t you wear it down more often?” She asked, genuinely curious. If Eerie had her hair, she’d be wanting to try it in all sorts of ways. Sadly though, her hair wasn’t exactly cooperative in that department. Cursed, in every sense of the word.

Marinette scrunched her nose. “I guess I just never thought about it until now?” She paused, looking somewhere in the distance before meeting Eerie’s eyes. “But then I just saw you and realized how much I wanted to try it.”

She chuckled and fiddled with the pink bow. “I look like a child, don’t I?”

Eerie shook her hands in front of her. “No, no! I think you look beautiful! I’m honored that you’d take after me, actually.”

Marinette tilted her head. “You are?”

“Of course! Who wouldn’t be honored to be the inspiration behind Ladybug’s latest look?”

The two burst out laughing at her joke. Would she still keep the hair after she left? Eerie hoped so. Confidence was a good look on Marinette, and Eerie couldn’t help but hope that Marinette would realize that. Eerie knew better than anyone how nice it was to be herself in front of people who accepted her for just who she was instead of who they wanted her to be, and she wanted Marinette to have that same kind of self-esteem and confidence in herself. If that meant it started with a humble hairstyle, then so be it.

“So…” Eerie drawled, nudging Marinette’s side. “What about Chat Noir, huh?”

Marinette’s eyes flew open at the name. “Is this payback?”

“Maybe.” She said, as if there was any actual question about it.

“But he’s just my partner! I mean sure, he likes to flirt a lot, but we’ve already talked about it. I don’t like him that way”

Eerie rubbed her chin. “Funny, I could’ve sworn someone said the same exact thing 5 minutes ago…”

Marinette stuck out her tongue. “Ha ha, but unlike you, I actually  _ mean _ it.”

“Do you now?” Oh man, Eerie was about to unleash all hell, and she was not going to be ready for it. “Because I did some digging the other day, and I found not one-”

“Wait-”

Eerie leaned in. “But  _ two _ photos of your mouth smushed against his! What do you have to say for yourself, Marinette?”

Said girl was now beet red. Marinette pushed her away, whining. “Eerie!”

“I do have to wonder, do you often think about how soft his lips were? How nice it would be to kiss him outside of battle? To feel his muscles  _ underneath the suit? _ ” Eerie made sure to add a slight suggestive intonation at that last part; the cherry on top. It worked perfectly, since Marinette’s face was absolutely a hot red mess.

Marinette pulled away, crossing her arms with a pouty  _ humph. _ However, Eerie persisted, sitting so their legs were close to one another.

“Well?” She asked.

Marinette sighed. “It was a really nice kiss.”

Eerie leaned back, signalling Marinette to do the same. “But that’s not all you like about him though, isn’t it?”

Marinette looked up at the trees that covered them in shade.

“He’s really sweet, too. I’ve yet to find a guy that can make me laugh while we’re literally fighting for our lives.” Marinette laughed softly, melting Eerie’s heart. “He’d been there during my lowest points. Hawkmoth’s attacks can be… pretty brutal sometimes. But every single time, he was there, ready to take on the world with me.”

Eerie smiled. “Sounds like the kind of guy that’s always in your corner, huh?”

“That’s putting it lightly.” She snorted, and Eerie took that as a clue that their partnership ran way deeper than she thought. Perhaps just as profound as her own with Connor. “We’ve been through so much together. I can’t imagine myself doing this whole superhero-ing thing without him. He means…  _ so _ much to me. So much that it hurts sometimes. If he ever got a girlfriend, I…”

Eerie held her breath.

_ Ooh, is this it? _

Marinette put a hand to her chest. “Wait, I… did I really just- say that?”

“Yeah, I think you just did, Marinette.”

Marinette shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her in an ‘X’ formation. “Nope. Nuh-uh. Never gonna happen. Impossible. Never in a thousand years.”

_ Ah, not yet. _

“Marinette.” Her tone reminded herself of her mother, and she wasn’t sure if she was proud of herself for it or not. “It’s okay to let yourself feel these things.”

She ignored the annoying little part of her brain that thought about Connor. “Here,” she leaned forward, “Imagine yourself in a relationship with Chat, what would that look like?”

Marinette glared at her. “What are you trying?”

“Nothing!” Because really, she was just giving a friendly suggestion. “Just try it.”

Marinette nibbled on her lip, which she took as a sign she was taking the bait. “Well, we’d go on patrol…”

Eerie nodded. “Go on.”

“And then like usual, he’d say something cheesy like ‘Afternoon, m’lady.  _ Purrfect _ weather we’re having, dontcha think?’” Marinette laughed at her own impersonation of Chat. “I’d play it off like usual, flick his bell like I always do. But this time, after we’d be done running patrol, instead of just saying goodbye, we could…”

“Could what?”

“We could meet at a spot he chose, just for the two of us. Where there’d be no akumas, no civilians needing to be taken care of. Just us. I’d talk to him about everything.” Marinette blinked, looking at nothing. “There’d be a few stars above the sky, because you can’t see much through the light pollution. But it wouldn’t matter because he’d tell me all about the stars that would’ve been there; since he loves astronomy and physics. He’d shoot me a cheesy line about being ‘more beautiful than all the stars in the night sky’. But this time, I’d be able to flirt back, just like I’d-”

Marinette’s breath hitched, as if a cold bucket of ice water was just poured over her.

“Just like I’d always wanted to.”

_ Ah, there it is. _

The penny dropped.

Marinette groaned, pressing her face against Eerie’s shoulder. “Oh no, I’m in love with him!”

Yes! Point one to Eerie!

“I don’t see what the problem is, Ladybug.”

Marinette lifted her face from her shoulder, looking at her with a desperate plea in her eye. “Eerie, you don’t get it! I’ve turned him down so many times!”

She settled herself into the crook of Eerie’s neck, and Eerie put her arms around her middle once again. Eerie didn’t plan on becoming the mom friend, but just how dense were these kids? It was clear enough to anyone who had a pair of eyeballs that Chat still had feelings for her.

“What am I going to do?” She whimpered.

Eerie lifted her off of her so she could look the darn girl in the eye.

“Tell him.” She deadpanned. At Marinette’s defeated expression, she tried to soften her face into something more hospitable. After all, it wasn’t her she was frustrated with. “What I mean is, talk to him about it. I’m sure you two can work something out, right?”

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same way anymore?”

Eerie shook a hand in front of her. “So what? If he’s half the guy you say he is, he’ll completely understand. Even if he might not feel the same way.” The funny thing was, he totally  _ did _ feel the same way, but she’d find that out soon enough.

“What makes you so sure?”

Eerie just smiled. The things she did for love.

“Just trust me.”

* * *

“'What do you mean, ‘you know’?”

Connor fidgeted with his gloves. “It means I know?”

Adrien blinked at him, slowly and confused. “Sorry, but I’m not sure I follow.” Adrien shot him another one of those smiles he recognized from the billboards.

“Kid, you’re going to have to try a little harder than that.” He plopped himself down on the couch next to him. “Sorry, but the secret’s out. Or should I say…

Connor paused, ready to drop the bomb of all bombs.

“The cat’s out of the bag.”

He looked at Adrien expectantly, waiting for some sort of reaction. However, all he was met with was a wide-mouthed stare; as if Connor just murdered his family. Of course, he expected this kind of reaction. It wasn’t everyday you were told that your secret double-life was outed. As much as Connor knew, this was a well-kept secret that he’d fought tooth and nail to protect, only to be shattered apart by a random foreigner he met just a few days prior. If Connor was in his shoes, he’d be struck idle too.

When no response came, a black blur of motion flew from his overshirt. Connor found himself face to face with a pair of green cat eyes.

“‘Sup?”

Connor yelped.

“What in the hell is that thing?!” Connor stumbled back, and he felt the support disappear from under him as he toppled over the back of the sofa. Ouch, that was probably going to leave a mark, wasn’t it?

“Plagg! What the hell was that?”

Connor heard a nasal, raspy voice reply. “What? He found you out, so I decided to make a guest appearance to the show!”

Adrien groaned. “This isn’t some kind of game! There’s people’s lives at risk.  _ You _ are at risk.”

The voice, or ‘Plagg’, just dismissed him. “I knew the risk, and I still took it. Besides, it’s too late now. You won’t tell anyone, will ya?”

It was then that Connor stood up, dusting himself off. “Of course not, that’d just be unfair.” He sniffed. “Wait, is that-”

His gaze fell on the wedge of camembert cheese in Plagg’s hold.

“Ah-ah! Watch it, buddy.”

Connor reached out a hand to grab a piece. “Aw c’mon, no harm in sharing now, is the-”

He yelped in pain as Plagg bit the tip of his finger. Thankfully, his glove probably stopped any permanent damage, but it didn’t do anything for the stings of pain that shot through his hand. The pain was swiftly accompanied by a steady, aching pulse that throbbed violently in his index finger. Were all cats like this or was he just not popular with them?

“Ow, what was that for?” Connor shot an indignant look at the cat, but it just glared back at him. It reminded him of Eerie when she had her hair tussled and was ready to pull at someone’s throat. “I just wanted some cheese.”

Plagg blew a raspberry. “Sorry bud, no can do. This one’s mine.”

Connor was just about to quip back with a killer comeback before he heard Adrien’s voice from behind him on the couch.

“Ugh, of course they both like cheese.”

Turning, Connor noticed how he hunched over himself. His hands coming together in front of his mouth. His eyes were closed, as if in deep thought, and the way his eyebrows knitted together almost instantly made Connor feel guilty for almost forgetting he was there.

Maybe he should’ve been more tactful.

Eerie would’ve been more careful than he was anyway. He was never good at the whole ‘confrontation’ thing.

“Hey.” He sat next to him and put his hand on Adrien’s lap, trying to get a good read on him. “What’s wrong, kid? You’re looking sort of out of sorts”

_ Regret. Worry. Dread. _

He shook his head and sighed. “Yeah, I’m okay, I guess. It just… wasn’t supposed to be this way.”

Connor tilted his head. “Be what way?”

“You knowing!” As if to illustrate his point, he flailed his arms out and gestured to him and Plagg simultaneously, whom of which was happily gnawing at some camembert. Lucky cat.

Adrien just continued. “Ladybug  _ told _ me that our identities needed to stay a secret. That no one, not even ourselves, could find out who we were. But now, it looks like  _ that’s _ gone down the drain.” He shot up out of his seat, leaving Connor to just watch as he started talking more about his superhero life. More specifically, how a ruined secret identity was a ruined superhero.

As Adrien continued, Connor made sure to pay close attention. From what he was saying, it sounded like he was less worried about his actual secret identity, and more about what Ladybug would’ve thought if she found out his secret identity was compromised. Which, given the videos he watched with Eerie, made a lot of sense.

But even though he couldn’t fix what he’d accidentally found out, he could still at least try and make him feel better

“Don’t worry about it.” Connor put a hand on his back. “My lips are sealed.”

“Sealed?”

“Sealed.” As it to illustrate his point, he motioned his hand across his mouth, permanently zipping them shut.

After they shook on it, Connor spoke up.

“I get the feeling that Ladybug means a lot to you.”

Adrien smiled and looked away, as if he was going over his mental checklist. “That’s an understatement.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Adrien looked out the window. “She’s  _ amazing. _ So brave, so selfless. Sometimes, I wonder how she manages to deal with me.” The look on his face was so lovestruck that it was almost comical. What was even better was that there was so much more he didn’t even know.

“But what about Marinette?” Connor asked.

“I’ve told you, Marinette’s just a friend. Besides, Ladybug has my heart entirely.”

Was it normal to want to both hug and smack a 15-year-old at the same time?

“That’s what you  _ say. _ ” Connor got up and put his hands on his hips. “But how you  _ act _ tells an entirely different story.”

Adrien shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ah, playing dumb. A classic deflection. “Don’t even bother hiding it, bud. I can read you like a book on a tuesday afternoon.”

Adrien tried to stare back, and it reminded him of a puppy trying to be intimidating. He glared right back, not one to back down to a 15-year-old kid. Sure, he was a superhero, but was he able to bite down on sixteen saltine crackers at once without water? Likely not. Their intense stand-off was interrupted by Plagg.

“It’s true!” He said through a full mouth of gooey cheese. “He talks about her all the time! He drones on and on for like what, 30 minutes?! Then, to top it all off he’ll go ‘Ah, she’s such a good friend.’ I’m sick of it!”

Connor stuck out his fist for him to bump, Plagg head-butted it. Finally, someone who understood what he was trying to do!

“The cat doesn’t lie, Adrien.”

Adrien just grumbled.

Connor plopped back down on the couch, leaning back. “You shouldn’t bottle it all up like that, y’know.” He knew it from experience.

Adrien sat there, thinking so loud that Connor could practically hear his thoughts. Should he read him again? No, that would be a bit underhanded if he did it now. Besides, it was easy to find out what he was thinking just by looking at his face alone.

He had the same look in his eyes as when he was looking at Ladybug.

He whispered so quietly that Connor almost missed it.

“Marinette’s really cool.”

_ Boom! I am so good at this! _

Connor wondered what it’d be like to work as a professional matchmaker. What would their salary be like? Would they make below minimum wage? Could he convince Eerie to make the change? No, that would just be ridiculous. She was made of detective material, through and through.

“So, now that that’s been taken care of…” Connor mulled, another important pressing matter on his mind. “Can I see it?”

Adrien smiled, cocking a brow. “See what?”

“Y’know…” Connor gestured to Adrien, up and down.

He chuckled, fiddling with his ring as he stood up. “Alright, alright.”

Connor braced himself as Adrien’s stance became wide.

“Plagg, claws out!”

Plagg got sucked into the ring, and Adrien became enveloped in green light.

Where Adrien once stood, there was now Chat Noir in his place.

“Wow,” Connor stood, taking in the sight before him. It was weird how all of a sudden, it really was Chat Noir standing before him, and not Adrien. “That was pretty cool, but was all the kicking and arm stuff really necessary?”

Adrien pouted. “It’s part of the transformation!”

“Sure it is.” Connor mimicked the way he slashed his claws, much to Adrien’s annoyance. His gaze fell on the rock climbing wall on the side of the room.

“Hey, wanna bet who can climb that thing the fastest?”

Adrien turned to him, then the wall, then back to him. A determined glint in his eye took hold of his face before he spoke.

“You’re on, garbage-breath!”

Not a minute later, Connor sat dazed on Adrien’s bedroom floor, while Chat Noir hung from the top of the climbing wall, spinning his tail in hand.

“I am the alpha male!”

* * *

Eerie closed the door behind her, coming face to face with Connor, who was half-buried in their new, re-made pillow fort. A new fort that  _ wasn’t _ drenched in alcohol.

“Seed has been planted.” She said. “I repeat, seed has been planted.”

Connor pumped his fist. “Yes! Operation: Poster Boyfriend is a go!”

Eerie shook her head. “I can’t believe you gave it such a ridiculous name.”

“What? I think it’s cute.”

“Your face is cute.”

Connor gasped, his eyes lighting up at the compliment before trying to affix it with a firm, assertive gaze. As if she  _ didn’t _ see him jump. “I am  _ not _ cute. I’m a handsome man, thank you very much!”

“Boss, you’ve got a scruffy tail and even fluffier ears. It  _ screams _ ‘cute’.”

It was true. Even when he didn’t notice, his adorable little accents didn’t escape her attention even when they wiggled in even the smallest way. Especially when they were as scruffy and as agitated as they were now. The slightly fluffier and frazzled way the fur rode up in annoyance was all too endearing Eerie had to resist the urge to scritch and scratch at them again.

Eerie shook her head. “Anyway, now that that’s been taken care of, everything else should follow.”

“How do you think it’s going to work?” He asked. Not in a way that implied she didn’t know what she was talking about, because she knew he didn’t doubt her plan. It was more to ask how her plan even worked in the first place

“Simple.” She began, activating Detective Mode. “They were chasing each other in circles, right?”

“Right.” Connor nodded.

“So, if we manage to get them to stop circling, and instead just have them attracted to both sides…”

He brightened. “Then they’re bound to give!” He snapped his fingers, finally catching on. “Eerie, when did you come up with this?”

Eerie winked. “Last night in the bath-bed.”

“Dang. If I knew the bath-bed made you a better detective I would’ve done it a long time ago.”

“Speaking of…” Eerie turned to the corkboard that leaned against the wall. They barely touched it since they got it, and she was  _ aching _ to get some work started. Aside from questioning a few people, they barely got any headway for the case, and even though her time with Miss Tsurugi was leading her somewhere, Eerie would be lying if she said that she wasn’t itching to get some actual progress going.

Connor made his way closer to her, pillows and blankets falling off of him as he stood up from their pillow fort.. “I think we can afford to take a break for one day, don’t ya think?”

“But- the case?”

“Don’t worry about the case.” Connor put a hand up, and smiled softly. “It’ll be there when we get back. Besides, we’re in Paris! Might as well enjoy it while we’re here, hm?” He looked at her with such a gentleness in his eyes that Eerie couldn’t help but concede to his wishes. But still, she was determined to get this case done. She knew he was too, but one of them had to keep them both on track for it.

Eerie pointed a finger at him. “We’re going to work on it as soon as we get back. Alright?”

“Of course.” He nodded, and gently pushed her hand away from his face. She knew he meant it because he’d rarely, if ever, go back on his word. Still, she wanted to reassure herself.

“Promise?”

Connor smiled, and took her hand in both of his and held it up in front of her.

“I promise.”

* * *

In the distance, the sunset gave off a hot orange flame. Like a blanket that was peeling away at the edges before night would come. Despite the fact that it was getting a bit late, the weather didn’t feel all that cold. It felt warm like a giant hug. From a few floors below, a restaurant tickled her ears with its soft, classical music. Around them, there were all sorts of people from different walks of life. Eerie thought it was beautiful, really. Everyone from different places and backgrounds would come together to appreciate the same view. Some were tourists, some just on their shift. Some were just locals looking for a moment to pause and take in the scene around them.

And what a scene it was.

Still, she kept at least an arm’s length away from the railing; her heart wouldn’t be able to handle any closer than that with the ground so far beneath them. Ironic, since she was meant to be taking after a bird of prey. But everytime, her throat would go dry and her legs would go weak. She wanted so badly to take in more of the gorgeous view, but it seemed like that would be a task too difficult for her right now.

Instead, she made do with what she could. She wanted to remember the way all of the streets converged to a single point in front of her, remember how breathtaking the Seine was, even if it was just a big body of water. Eerie wanted to capture that feeling and put it in a bottle.

Maybe she could, if she tried hard enough.

“The Eiffel Tower wasn’t a bad choice, huh?”

Eerie turned to Connor, who was leaning with his back against the railing, the psychopath. “Not bad at all.” She said. It was true, and she meant every word of it. It was too bad she couldn’t admire it more from afar.

He turned so he could take in the view. “It is really pretty, isn’t it?”

She smiled.

‘Pretty’ was an understatement.

“Hey.” Connor turned to her. “Here’s a question: What do you think is gonna go down between those two?” He pointed a thumb at a couple who was situated not far from them.

Eerie rubbed her chin and hummed, taking in the two young adults. “Well, she’s clearly busy admiring the view, but it looks like he can’t take his eyes off of her.” She leaned in, trying to get a closer look. “He’s constantly fidgeting with his hands too. Not only that, but his speech is stilted; almost like there’s something else he wants to say…”

She snapped her fingers. “We’re on the Eiffel Tower. He’s going to propose!”

Connor raised his eyebrows. “Excellent work as always, detective.”

“I had a really good teacher.” Not only that, but an even better partner.

He brightened, his tail shooting up. “You really think so?”

“Of course.” Eerie scratched under his chin, and he leaned into the touch. “It was all your doing.”

“It wasn’t all me, though. I just gave you a few pointers.”

She just about finished petting him when she hushed him. “Connor, look!”

He turned his gaze to where she pointed.

Sure enough, the couple from before were now in a very different position than they were before. He was on one knee, presenting a dark velvet box before her. It was a touching sight, and the soft glow of the sunset did wonders for the mood. She had her hands over her mouth before pulling him up and taking him in a sweet kiss. Even if Eerie didn't know the exact words she used, it was easy to tell that the girl said yes.

A little part of Eerie wondered what it would’ve been like to receive that kind of gesture. She’d never been in an actual romantic relationship. She was just so immersed in her studies that the opportunity never presented itself to her. But even then, it was probably just better to work her butt off on her career first, then decide if she was ready for a relationship.

She was pulled out of her stupor by the sound of applause ringing around them. When she turned to Connor, he was clapping along too. Eerie smiled and followed along.

_ Love like that does seem nice, doesn’t it? _

She brought her attention back to the view before her. It was a bit darker now, but she could still see everything. The lights of Paris flickered to life, bathing the city in a faint warm glow. It reminded her of a time she and Connor had to do a long, overnight stakeout on a rooftop. It was a brutal night, but they got through it together.

When he turned back to her, she spoke. “How’d you know he was going to propose?”

“Same as you.” He quipped.

“Uh-huh.” She knew it was a lie.

Connor let out a hum, his eyes were going up in a way that looked guitless. “I felt the ring in his pocket.”

She scoffed and hit him in the shoulder. “That’s cheating!”

He just shrugged. “Comes with the job, what can I say?”

Comes with the job, huh?

“Hey Connor?” She called, bringing his attention back to her. “Do you ever wonder what would’ve happened if Chief never put me on the team as an intern?”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

I mean…” Her hands shifted awkwardly at her sides, not sure what to do with them. This was risky, she knew. “What would’ve happened if we didn’t meet? As in, I never joined the cursed unit?”

Connor tilted his head for a moment, as if thinking  _ very _ carefully about what he was about to say. Suddenly, her gut pooled with dread when thinking about the worst things he could say. What if he honestly thought that his work life would be better without her? She almost took it back, but he answered before she could.

“I guess, I’d be kind of bored?”

Eerie raised her brows, surprised.

He put up his hands in defense. “Not that I was bored before, or anything!” He put his arms back against the railing and looked out to the view. “I was just… I was never really good at working by myself. Remember that nasty cold case we solved together the first day you joined?”

Eerie nodded, she could never forget that one. One of her proudest moments on the cursed unit, yet it was one of her first.

“Well, that was actually a case I’d been working on for a month. Yet, you laced it together in a single shift.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Connor exhaled, like he was trying to pick his words carefully. “But, my point is, the people at work are amazing; they’re the best. They practically  _ inspire _ me to become a better person every day. But you, Eerie. You make it so much more for me. I was still getting by before, don’t get me wrong. It’s just, you surprise me!”

She shook her head. “Stop.”

“It’s true!” Connor assured, much to her surprise. “Eerie, you’re like… the coolest person I know.”

He brought his gaze straight towards her, locking eye contact.

“And the best part is…” He let go of his fists and opened up his palms, like he was giving a part of himself up. “You never,  _ ever _ have to try and be more than that.”

She looked into his eyes, and it sent her down a long, long spiral. There seemed to be so much more he wanted to say, like there was another side of the story that she wasn’t able to read. Another language that she could learn basic phrases for but the grammar eluded her. His face was so close to hers, and she could see the light specks of freckles kissing his skin in a few places. His eyes were big, as if trying to tell her something that his mouth wouldn’t allow for.

It was as if Connor was holding something inside him. Something big.

He looked away before she could try and read into it, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, I just… you mean a lot to me, Eerie.” His cheeks pinked. “I know it’s kind of weird, coming from your ‘boss’ or whatever but, I’m glad we met. Really, I am.”

Eerie wasn’t able to reply. At least, not when he turned back to the city. Not when the warm hues of the dying sunset danced along his silhouette and painted it in the best colors. Not while the gentle breeze blew on his scruffy, dirty-blonde hair and made it dance in the wind. Not when her little world felt just a bit brighter with him in it. And absolutely  _ not _ when there was so much on her mind that begged for release; to just  _ feel. _ He continued looking out to the city, looking more at peace than he’d ever been.

Maybe, just maybe, she could help to be a part of the peace.

If he ever let her, that is.

If her heart beat sped up, she chose to ignore it.

“What about you?” Connor asked, breaking the silence. His eyes were still attached to the view set out before them. “What do you think would’ve happened if you never joined us?”

That was a very good question.

“I…” Eerie hesitated, though the words were already on her tongue.

_ I’d still be scrounging for approval from others. I’d be working my butt off for people who couldn’t care less about me. I wouldn’t be in a place where I feel accepted. You guys helped me love me for who I am. It was always you who was there for me. I don’t deserve you guys. If it wasn’t for you… _

_ I’d still be trying to prove myself to no one. _

“...Same here.” Eerie laughed it off, trying to hide her mouth. “Work would be uh, pretty boring.”

They settled into a silence, trying to find the words that they couldn’t say. There was so much she could’ve told him, but not right now. It was a lot. It would make the whole situation weird if she went ahead and spilled her guts.

Connor looked back at her over his shoulder.

“Could you join me, please?” He asked, tender as ever. “The view’s a lot nicer from here.”

Eerie looked into his eyes again, and she wasn’t sure if it was the best or worst decision she’d ever made.

“I…” She stalled, unable to answer. The truth was, she  _ really _ wanted to. “The view’s amazing, but I’m not sure if I can.”

“Don’t worry,” Connor assured her. He opened his arm, welcoming,  _ asking _ her to join him. “I’ve got you.”

Of course he did.

He always did.

Slowly, she shakily stepped to his side. Each step felt unsteady, unsure of where exactly to go. But as she drew closer, she felt just a little more sure of himself.

Eventually, she got there. Right up against the railing.

Connor wrapped his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her hip. It was the only thing keeping her grounded while her gaze soared across the now much wider view. Now, she could take in so much more than she would’ve before. It was like she was soaring with wings, and the thought of it both exhilarated and terrified her. The looming expanse below her was still enough to make her knees tremble, but she instead focused on Connor’s proximity and much needed hold. It wasn’t easy being this close to the edge, but in his arms, she’d be okay.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, and rested her hand atop his on the metal in front of them, circling the back of his hand with her thumb.

Neither of them mentioned it.

Even as they watched the last sliver of sun dip below the horizon, covering the city into a rich mix of blue moonlight and yellow city-lights, the presence beside her never left her attention.

She looked up at him, and he looked back. His eyes were so close to hers, and his lips curved ever so slightly into a soft smile that melted her heart.

Eerie swallowed. “Hey Connor?”

“Yeah?” He breathed.

“Thank you.” She said, trying to help him understand how much the words meant to her. It was a tiny gesture; a small token of gratitude. It was nowhere near doing it justice. He deserved more than this, a gift or two. Or a dozen. But being this weak and vulnerable in front of him was already doing a number on her heart. “For everything. For showing me the ropes, and um, being patient with me. I don’t think I deserved it, really.”

Eerie looked away after that; she couldn’t look at him when she was putting herself out in the open like this. She focused on the arm around her waist, trying to find any kind of stability in the subtle way it held her close to him.  _ So close. _ Her soul already felt so open and exposed from what she just said. The last thing she wanted was for Connor to peer into her and strip her heart bare.

Thankfully, he took it with grace.

He lifted her chin up, and smiled softly.

“You don’t have to deserve it.”

He looked back to the evening of Paris, oblivious to her.

_ You don’t have to deserve it. _

Eerie tried to bring herself back to the view of the night, but it couldn’t be farther from what she was currently thinking about.

_ You don’t have to deserve it. _

The evening continued on as normal, but to Eerie, it felt like something new was found inside her. Something she always knew was there, but kept ignoring. But she just chose to worry about it later, and enjoy the view with her partner. They’d earned this much, haven’t they?

They were unaware of the superheroes above them, having their own little moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hnng i got so soft writing that last scene you have no idea
> 
> I was a sucker for the symbolism in jarl's [Two Cursed Detectives In Paris](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22483951/chapters/53724937) and i wanted to try my hand at that here >////<


	7. It Can Get Stupider, Actually

Marinette looked at herself in the mirror, tilting her head at the reflection that looked back.

Honestly, she didn’t even change that much. All she did was let her hair down and put on a cute little bow. It was a small, minute change that she wanted to add; a modest adjustment to her outfit that to anyone else would go unnoticed as an unimportant detail that didn’t need to be paid any mind.

Yet, when she saw the girl who looked back at her, it felt like she’d changed.

But in a good way. Like how she grabbed a bottle called ‘Hope’ and took a sip. Not much, but enough to ease her shoulders and put a small smile on her face. The magic of it made her feel just a little bit lighter. Made her feel like she’d gained just a little bit more of her old self back. It was gratifying, to say the least.

Earlier that day, when Eerie told her that she’d found out her identity, she felt absolutely _mortified._ Which of course, was perfectly sound. That was the safety of everyone she loved being put at risk, for crying out loud! But after she assured Marinette that her secret was safe with her, it helped her breathe a bit easier. It didn’t completely ease her mind, but the thought still carried through to her.

Usually, when Marinette talked with people, she would speak too fast, or too loud for them to be able to follow anything she was saying. Her mind was almost always on full throttle with new ideas, so much so that it was hard for others to keep up. It was a habit she was trying to fix. But when she met Eerie, she listened wholeheartedly, like she really cared about what she was saying. It felt so validating to be listened to like that.

Not only that, but Marinette felt _safe_ whenever she was with her, like everything was going to be alright. Marinette told her things that she’d never even told Alya, and that was definitely saying something.

A little part of Marinette wished she could be more like her.

So, she thought it would be nice to pay homage to her.

Tikki looked at her in the mirror. “Marinette, you look amazing!”

She smiled. “You really think so?”

Tikki nodded. “Of course I do! I think Eerie is a good influence on you. She’s a really sweet woman.”

“I’ll make sure to introduce you as soon as I can. You two would get along great, I bet.” She really wished she did before, but given that they were out in the open like that, it probably wasn’t the best idea.

Marinette put down her bag and set it on her table. “What do you think of her and Connor?”

Tikki giggled. “Oh, those two are made for each other.”

“Right?” Marinette turned and flailed her arms. How were they not a couple yet? “They obviously care so much about each other! I saw it with my own two _eyes,_ for kwami’s sake.”

She’d never forget the way Connor held onto Eerie so tightly after they (Or rather, Connor) defeated the Vanquisher.

He looked so broken and lost without her.

It was kind of scary, actually. Chat Noir and her were just about to pull him out of the way of the akuma before he started dodging her attacks like it was nothing. He fought with a ferocity that didn’t resemble _anything_ like the man that was in her house the day before. There seemed to be something feral, something inhuman going on behind the scenes.

The last part that shattered her heart was when he broke down after. The way he hunched over himself, crying his eyes out, haunted her all night. Marinette barely even knew him, but the cries that came from him spoke volumes about how much she meant to him. It was like his whole world shattered right before him, and he could do nothing about it but weep and sob. She could’ve sworn she stood there for an eternity before she told herself to stop staring at the man and purify the akuma.

At least he was okay when she checked up on the two afterwards.

“It’s alright.” Tikki said, as if she could read her thoughts. “They’ll figure themselves out. Eventually.”

Marinette pursed her lips. “I hope so.”

“In the meantime,” Tikki drawled, “I think we should talk about your other discovery today.”

Oh right.

That.

“Ugh, how could I forget?” Marinette groaned and put her face in her hands. “Of course I’d fall for Chat!” Leave it to Marinette Dupain-Cheng to fall for her absolute sweetheart of a dork partner without even noticing.

Marinette would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t even see it coming, either. The feelings were there for a while now, she just tried to push it down for as long as she could for fear of being unfaithful to Adrien. Which was ridiculous really, she was never even dating him in the first place. If there was anyone out there that she actually _had_ a shot with, it was Chat Noir. Her amazing, loyal and very snuggly kitty.

But then again, her and Adrien have been getting closer in the past few weeks…

“What am I going to do, Tikki?!” Marinette kicked back and spun hopelessly in her seat. Maybe if she stared at the ceiling long enough, the answers would come to her.

Tikki just smiled a motherly smile, the one that Marinette recognized as the one she wore when she was about to dish out some sage advice that only an eternity-year-old being was capable of giving. Which to be honest, was what she really needed right now. Tikki just planted herself on her forehead, looking at Marinette with those big, motherly eyes. “I think you should take Eerie’s advice. Talk to him. You’d be surprised what could come from a little communication.”

Marinette supposed Tikki had a point. They’d been partners for a while now, after all. It only made sense that she’d be completely open and honest with him.

But, this was different! This time, she’d fallen for him!

And she’d fallen hard. Her conversation with Eerie that day only helped her realize that. The thought of anyone but Chat being by her side made her sick. She wanted, no- _needed_ him to be around. Not just in battle, but outside of it too. Whenever she was feeling down on herself from being a superhero, or when she needed a helping hand, he was always there for her.

His words played in her mind, and not for the first time.

_‘You and me against the world, m’lady!’_

He had no idea what he did to her, did he?

Looking out the window, Marinette saw that it was almost sunset.

He was her partner, her confidant, the person who would always be there for her no matter what. He was always there, rooting for her and never leaving her side. The very same person who’d seen her at her lowest and was still willing to love all of her, as if there was nothing else he wanted in the world. Nothing could change that, Nothing _would_ change that. When life tried to pull her down into its nasty clutches, Chat was always there to do his part.

So, would being with Chat really be okay?

What would it be like to be able to sit with him a little bit closer? To call him nicknames that meant a little bit more than they usually did? To shoot back with her own jokes for once? Be able to be his rock and support just like he was for her?

She smiled softly.

Yes, it absolutely would be okay.

“Tikki, spots on!”

Ladybug bounded across the rooftops, her chest ablaze with the novelty of it all. Tonight, she was going to change everything about them, and for once, the idea didn’t scare the living daylights out of her. She was actually going to confess to Chat! There was an exciting new energy that pumped through her as she took each step. Like the beginning of a new chapter in her life. A beginning that promised more beginnings. Of new _firsts._

Ladybug sent a message to Chat.

_Eiffel Tower. Now._

As soon as she sent it, she realized that it was way more ominous than she was hoping, but in the moment, she couldn’t care. This was something she needed to say to his face, and if she couldn’t do that, then she wasn’t Ladybug.

She perched herself up on the highest part of the tower. Away from prying eyes.

The sunset had never looked as pretty as it was now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Adrien was having a similar, yet different, situation.

Could Adrien actually be in love with two different people? No way, Connor didn’t actually mean that when he said that, did he? That would just be unfair of him to be pining after his lady and very well be in love with Marinette too.

No, no, Marinette was just a friend. An adorable, selfless, amazing friend. A friend that he’d stay up at night thinking about, imagining what it would be like to hold her close. Sometimes, he wondered what it would be like to press those pink, kissable lips of hers against his own. It wouldn’t exactly be a bad, first kiss. Quite the opposite, actually…

“Plagg, is it normal to want to kiss a friend?”

Plagg groaned from his computer desk. Adrien almost missed the way a few stray specks of cheese flew out of his mouth. The disgusting cat. “For the last time: No.”

“But-”

“No! If you want to kiss her, then it means you like her.”

Adrien blinked.

Did he actually like her? As in, like-like her?

Marinette was one of his closest friends. He was deliciously proud of himself for finally being able to spend even more time with his friend, and the never ending sweetness she showed to everyone didn’t hurt her case, either.

Adrien thought about what it would be like to be in a relationship with Marinette. He could take her to the movies, maybe. He’d treat her like the amazing woman she is. Maybe he’d finally be able to shadow her in the things she did outside of class. Maybe when she’d be at work designing, he could cuddle up from behind, wrapping her arms around her.

If they were together, he could kiss her in the rain, in an umbrella he gave her. The lightning would’ve been scary, but since they’d be together, it wouldn’t matter.

They’d be together.

Adrien picked up his pillow and threw it at the window.

“Plagg!” He turned towards his kwami, who looked at him unimpressed. “I’m in love with Marinette!”

“Yes, Adrien.” Plagg sighed, exasperated. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”

“But… how?” Adrien ran his hands through his hair. “She’s… just a friend?”

“I swear on all that is cheese-”

“She’s just as cool as Ladybug!” Adrien shot up, but then halted in his pace. “Maybe even… more cool? Oh God, forget I said that it feels wrong coming out of my mouth-”

“Adrien _please-_ ”

“I love Ladybug!” He threw his hands up. Maybe if he said it enough times, it’d overshadow the elephant in both his room and heart. “But, _Marinette._ ”

Adrien kept pacing through his bedroom while Plagg kept grumbling to himself about cataclysming the earth back to the Cretaceous Period.

The two girls were always on his mind now that he thought about it. If he wasn’t thinking about one, then his mind was almost always drifting to the other. The thought of it made him feel wracked with guilt. How dare he think about both of them at the same time? Didn’t that sort of mean he was being unfaithful to them? He didn’t deserve either of them. How could he ever really be in a relationship with one when the other would always be on his mind?

_I would make the absolute worst boyfriend._

There was Ladybug. She was brave, selfless, and everything else Adrien wanted to be. She’d made him fall for her since day one, like a wave that crashed down on him. In the time he’d come to know her, every touch, every word she said to him made his head spin and his world turn. He was in no position to back out of that now. He couldn’t, even if he tried. And he _tried._ She was just something else. There was no way he could be Chat Noir without her. It was why he worked so darn hard to protect her. Every time an akuma popped up, you’d be hard pressed to find Ladybug not already on top of things.

Then there was Marinette.

Sweet, warm and kind Marinette.

She shone brighter than the summer sky. He fell for her like the crescendo of a song; quietly creeping up and up until the symphony of his heart cried out with a roar. Every time she showed up to class, it made Adrien’s heart skip a beat. Not only that, but she showed love to her friends in the littlest and most beautiful ways.

In big ways and small, Marinette loved. And she _loved._

In treats she’d bring her friends. In the hugs she gave them. In the times she organized outings with them. It was part of why he wanted to hang out with her so much now. He couldn’t really explain why before, but there was something about spending time with Marinette that just seemed like so much fun. Even then, there was an aching in the back of his throat, as if there was something else he was missing.

He really was in love with her, wasn’t he?

It just creeped on him. He couldn’t recall the day, the week, and definitely not the hour, but somehow along the way, he’d caught feelings for his adorable classmate. It made him want to pick her up and spin her around in his arms, laughing along with her. He wanted to hold her face in his hands and kiss every small freckle on her face. To whisper his love for her in her ear while she whispered her own, making him hers.

_Hers._

“I love that girl.” He whispered, so quiet that no one else heard him.

Marinette, who helped him hide from his fans. But there was also Ladybug, who saved Paris, saved _him_ more times than he can count.

“I love _that_ girl.” He said louder.

Ladybug, who he trusted with his life and would do it all over again. But also Marinette, who forgave him so freely for his mistakes, and was his friend ever since he started school.

“I love that girl!”

Plagg floated towards him. “Which one?!”

“I don’t know, Plagg!” Adrien flopped back into his couch, hoping it would swallow him and he’d never have to face the world again. He hid his face in his hands, maybe if he hid his face he’d wouldn’t have to look either of them in the eye. How could he, after discovering he was absolutely whipped for them both?

“I’m a mess.”

“I thought we’ve already established that.”

“I just need a run!” Adrien got up, raising his chest in what he hoped was confidence and not just nervous energy. “Yeah, I should just go for a run.”

“Wait wait wait-!”

Adrien cut him off. “Plagg, claws out!”

He let himself be embraced by the energy that always came out of transforming. The energy lit up his system, and he felt more refreshed than he had been just a few minutes ago. He sure as hell didn’t have things figured out now, but Connor was right about one thing; he _was_ in love with Marinette, he just didn’t know what to do about it.

He checked his baton. One new message.

_Eiffel Tower. Now._

Huh. Weird.

Regardless, it was a reason to see Ladybug! Adrien grabbed his lucky charm and stuffed it in the pockets of his suit. He was going to need it if he wanted to find a way out of this mess. He’d have to talk to Ladybug about all of this. Maybe she’d be happy that he found someone new. Or would she be jealous of her? That wouldn’t be very fair.

But then again, he was the one that was hopelessly pining after two girls at once.

_Ugh._

Steeling himself, he jumped out the window, ready to meet her.

* * *

Marinette let herself sigh as the wind kissed her face.

Tonight, she was going to confess to Chat. She was really going to do it. She was going to walk up to him, grab him by the collar and… talk to him.

She could only hope that he still felt something for her. He’d made it obvious enough ever since that night on the rooftop. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the warmth coming from the candles.

Everything looked so tiny from how far off the ground she was. Her legs dangled off the edge, swinging back and forth. The wind was a bit chilly from this high up, but thankfully, her suit kept her warm from the bite of the cold.

It wasn’t long before a familiar face started clawing his way towards the top.

“Hey, kitty.”

“Evening, LB! Love the new hairstyle.” He saluted as he jumped into place beside her, ever the extra. “What was the message for? Sounded serious, if I do say so myself.”

She gulped. “Can’t I just see my partner for once?” The slight intonation in her voice was a dead giveaway. Thankfully, he didn’t notice. Instead, he sat next to her. The close proximity doing wonders to her gentle heart.

He leaned closer, giving one of those sweet, disarming smiles she knew too well. “You know I can’t say no to you, bugaboo.”

_That’s not fair! He can’t be allowed to just do that!_

“You dork!” She raised up a hand to ruffle his hair. Marinette wondered what it would look like if he tried to tame it for once. Would he look better?

He raised up his hands in an attempt to fend her off. “What? It’s true!”

“Would you say no if I asked you to jump right now?”

“I’d do a backflip too.”

She cocked a brow. “Oh yeah?”

He got up. “Watch me.”

She grabbed his wrist just in time before he could do anything stupid. Sure, he’d done it before, but it was still dangerous and unnecessary. Who knew what’d happen if he dropped his baton.

“I think I get the point, kitty. Besides, you and I both know that it’d come as quite a shock to the visitors.”

He laughed. “Imagine the headline!” He put up his hands in front of him and spread them wide, already imagining it in front of him. “Parisian Superhero Chat Noir does Sick Backflip off of the Eiffel Tower.”

“That would be _so_ badass!”

He turned to her and smiled wide. “Right?”

“I’m sure that’d make everyone _flip._ ”

Chat gasped. “You punned!”

“Yes, that I did.” She rolled her eyes.

“Come on.” He held out his fist expectantly. “You know you want to.”

She looked down at the fist, then back to him, then back to his fist before eventually giving it a good bump.

“There we go.” He smirked, very similar to how a cat would, and not in the intimidating way. “How’ve you been m’lady?”

“I’ve been good, I guess.”

“You guess?”

She shrugged. “I guess? I don’t know, a lot’s been happening recently.”

_Like you, you’ve been happening recently._

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Her heart jumped to her throat. “Oh, no no no. It’s fine.” She waved a hand in front of her in what she hoped looked casual. She was the epitome of casual. The most casual Ladybug had ever been. “Really, I am.”

“You sure? These things aren’t just to make me look cute, y’know.” Pointing at his cat ears, he winked.

“True, but they make you cute either way.”

“You think I’m cute?” He brought his curled fists to his chin. Was he an actual child or what?

“Why do you think I keep you around as my partner all the time?” She scratched his chin, and he happily leaned into the touch. Argh, why was he so darn adorable? 

“Something about being your other half or something along those lines?”

She paused.

Did he really just call her his other half?

He seemed to notice the way she froze, because he leaned in so close that they were practically nose to nose.

“Are you blushing?”

Her eyes widened. “N-no!”

She hid her face in her hands. No, no, no! She couldn’t be blushing now! The time wasn’t right! This wasn’t what she imagined! In her mind, she saw the sunset in the distance, rose petals being thrown, and everything else she’d ever wanted. But the heat in her cheeks was already too strong to fight, and it gave her away.

Chat held no restraint when he wrapped his arms around her, smushing his cheek against hers. 

“Aww, you look so cute!”

She could hear a high pitched sound coming from somewhere. Was it her? Probably.

“Chaaat…”

“Sorry, can’t hear you. Your face is warm.”

“ _Your_ face is warm!” She quipped, but it didn’t hit as hard as she hoped it would.

“Wow, a little flat on the comebacks tonight, aren’t we?”

“Shut up.” She would’ve glared him in the eye if their faces weren’t literally being squished together. It was a losing battle, she knew that much. But still, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t like the way his face felt against her own.

Chat chuckled. “I just think you’re pretty when you’re all pink!”

Gah, she had to do _something_ before she’d melt.

Steeling herself, Ladybug brought her face out of her hands.

And landed a peck on his cheek.

There, she did it. She kissed his cheek. It was a few centimetres off where she wanted it to be but- _wait no Marinette stop thinking about that stop thinking about KISSING HIM HOLY MOTHER OF-_

Her screaming thoughts were cut short by the serious lack of speech coming from Chat. Looking up at him, she saw that he was looking at her with bewilderment. Like she just showed him the entire world. Suddenly, she wasn’t the only one who was beet red. Did kissing him seriously have that much of an effect on him? Even now? Maybe she still had shot…

Ladybug took a deep breath.

She had to do it now, before she chickened out.

“Chat, how long have we been partners?”

“Uh,” he looked to the side, still holding onto her while his face was a fierce shade of red, “about two years now, why?”

“Well…” She trailed off. She didn’t even know where to begin.

Of course she’d forgotten to write a script! This would’ve been so much easier if she prepared herself earlier. But no, she had to just try and wing it.

_‘Oh yeah, I totally fell in love with you but I didn’t even realize it until earlier today. Surprise!’_

“I, um…”

_‘I thought nothing of it until I realized that the idea of you, my best friend and superhero partner, being with someone another made my skin crawl for reasons that definitely weren’t platonic.’_

“There’s just-”

_‘Sometimes I imagine what it would be like to have you pin me against a wall.’_

She coughed, clearing her throat.

When she looked into those green eyes of his, all the nerves that were building up inside her dissipated. Like she was parched in a desert and he was an oasis out in the horizon, just within her reach. There was just something so calming about being here with him.

Chat Noir.

Her kitty.

Her loyal, caring, sweetheart of a partner. It wasn’t fair to her. No, it wasn’t fair at all. Not fair to her _or_ to him. Just the simple ways he would be there for her would send her mind reeling. The words he spoke made her knees weak, and the small acts of kindness he showed turned her entire world upside down. It was like he always knew just what she needed.

In his eyes, she could even see it now. They were slightly creased out of worry if she was okay or not. Yet, still welcoming an open space for her and letting her try and finish. Of course he’d be patient enough to be able to deal with her inability to talk when she was nervous. She was positive he’d wait forever for her, if it ever came down to it. Lucky for both of them, they wouldn’t need to.

She couldn’t do this in words, though.

Reaching out a hand to embrace the side of his face, she leaned in closer.

“Can I…”

She didn’t finish her sentence as she leaned in.

She fixed her eyes shut, wanting to relish the feel of his mouth against hers. It was different this time, there was no akuma they were facing, no civilians they needed to save. There was nothing to hide behind; no excuses they could use anymore. It was just her, pouring her heart out to him in hopes that he’d reply.

Chat held her closer, tightening his hold on her so she was flush against him and sitting on his lap, deepening their kiss. It sent a wonderful thrill through her as their lips moved under the contact, and she followed by grabbing the sides of his face and pulling him closer, eliciting a subtle, silent hum from him. The low purr sent wonderful vibrations through her, lighting her entre being on fire with a burning that she didn’t want to extinguish no matter how much damage it would leave in its wake. Let it burn, she thought. Let it sing, dance, and _live._

She wanted to hold him in tighter; as tight as she could. She wanted to embrace all of him and make up for all of the lost time. Time that _she_ wasted.

In his arms, she felt known, wanted, appreciated. The way he held her so close to himself was so different in his own Chat way. She didn’t want to think about anything else; anyone else, for that matter. She just wanted him at this moment, because that was all that mattered.

Just her and him.

Chat Noir and Ladybug.

Marinette and, _whoever_ it was behind that mask.

She’d still love him all the same.

She might not have known his name, but if their last few years of working together had proved anything, they meant the world to each other. Marinette knew it all too well. He meant so much to her. He _was_ so much to her, and she wanted him to know that. He meant so much to her that it could hurt sometimes. But never for long, because everytime it did, all it took was for him to just send her a smile, or a slip of the tongue for her to be smitten all over again.

How did she never notice her feelings before when it was so obvious?

It was over all too soon when their lips parted, the cool breeze on her lips being the first sign that she’d just kissed him.

She’d kissed him.

She’d really just. Kissed him.

Oh mother of cookies, she kissed him!

“Wow…” Chat whispered. “That was um…”

“I’m sorry!” She spluttered, interrupting him.

His grip on her waist tightened, sending her into another dimension. “No, no! It’s okay! It was actually kind of nice, I’m just…” He raised a hand in front of him, twitching to say something but was still struggling for words. “It’s like…”

He kept struggling with himself, looking like he was desperately trying to find words that wouldn’t come to him. It was almost as bad to the point of becoming awkward until he blurted out a sentence that sent her crashing back down to earth.

“Is it bad that I’m in love with two girls?”

The look he sent her was pleading; almost asking her for help. Her gaze peered into his, and it felt like something was stolen from her before she could claim it as hers. She wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. Not like this. Not when she was on his lap, holding her so close to him. Was the world playing some kind of joke on her? It felt like it.

“W-who are they?” She said, already feeling like falling apart.

“Well, one of them is you.” He laughed weakly, then stopped to give a half-lidded gaze that was enough to make her a mess all over again. “You’re my everything, my lady.”

God, it shouldn’t have hurt so much to hear those words coming out of his mouth. She should’ve been over the moon, should’ve been feeling the butterflies floating in her stomach radiate with warmth. Instead, she just felt like she’d been stabbed with a dull butter knife.

She croaked out a reply, and she tried not to sound as broken as she felt. “But, this other girl?”

Chat leaned back and smiled, a small smile that wasn’t meant for her.

“Yeah,” he loved, “she’s pretty amazing.”

It was all about to break. There was no going back, was there? She missed her chance. Missed her chance before she could even try and take it. She waited too long, and now his heart was for another girl that wouldn’t deny herself the amazing boy that was her partner. Whoever she was, she hoped she made him happy, hoped she flirted back, gave him everything she had and made him feel as loved as he was. She knew he deserved it, but God, it hurt like hell.

While he spoke, he fidgeted with something in his pocket. Maybe it was something she gave him as a gift. Of course it was, she probably didn’t hesitate like her. It didn’t seem like he noticed though, because she could see a little bit of it poking out. A familiar red string caught her vision.

“Chat-”

The sound of his name startled him, and the object that was once in his pocket flew out of his grip, falling towards the ground far below.

Time seemed to pause as the image of green and pink shone in the evening like a sore thumb.

She recognized it instantly.

Acting on reflex, she threw out her yoyo, working with whatever room she could get when she was still sitting on Chat’s lap. When she reeled in the charm, she held it in her hands, burning holes into it from how hard she stared at it.

“Chat.” She uttered. “Where did you get this?”

“Nowhere!” He said. He was nervous, he could tell.

“Chat, don’t lie to me.”

He slouched, bowing his head. “It was from her.”

“From her? As in-”

“Her?” He smiled softly. “Yeah. She gave it to me as a gift. I uh, take it with me wherever I go.”

“O-oh.”

This didn’t make any sense. This was Adrien’s charm. The one _she_ gave to him. How on earth did Chat of all people get his paws on it? Adrien wouldn’t just give his charm away, would he? No, that was out of the question, she knew he’d never do something like that. So, how then…

She felt her heart skip a beat as the realization came crashing down on her.

Adrien never gave it away, nor did Chat steal it from him. 

He got it as a gift, and that he took it wherever he went outside.

As she listened to his voice, she remembered what he said to her those few months back when they were running away from all of his fans.

_‘How could anything bad happen to me with my Marinette Lucky Charm?’_

Oh.

Oh _God._

“It reminds me of her wherever I go.” He smiled, creasing his eyes ever so slightly. Those eyes that she’d committed to memory now looking like new under a black mask. “She’s the best. When I’m not in costume, it’s so much fun to be with her. She’s so sweet, loving. Kind, too! There’s no one else in my civilian life that’s like her. I don’t think there’s anyone better out there, really”

“Y-you really think so?” She squeaked. So embarrassingly high she was absolutely positive that it could break glass.

He chuckled. “Yeah.” He turned towards her, still holding her close. “She actually uh, reminds me of you.”

Okay, that was it.

She was going to clear this up _now._

“Follow me.”

Ladybug stood up and walked herself over to the private room high above public access where they wouldn’t be seen. She had Chat’s hand in her own, pulling him with her.

“Ladybug, where are we going?”

She didn’t answer, instead, she just pulled him into the room and slammed the door behind her, away from the public eye.

“Spots off.”

The familiar feeling of light washing over her lit up the room as she de-transformed, bathing the dark room in a pink glow. She closed her eyes, letting herself a few moments of silence and peace before the storm that was about to rock both of their worlds. This was brash, it would change them and who they were as partners forever. But once, just _once_ she wanted to take a leap. To take a risk, so that maybe, just maybe, the universe would respond in kind.

“Marinette?” He whispered. So quiet it was barely audible.

She opened her eyes and waved timidly, hunching her shoulders. “Hi, kitty.”

“It was you this whole time?!”

It was still blindingly dark, but it was easy to follow him when his eyes shone as they always did.

She giggled “I think so? Unless it wasn’t me who’s been wearing these earrings since day one.”

She stepped even closer, trying to close the gap between them.

“You’re Ladyb-”

He was cut off when she kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He loved her. He loved her! All of her, and she didn’t even realize. She had to be the luckiest girl in the world to have her friend and partner love her back, all of her. Marinette never had the best of luck, and the irony was not lost on her. Yet here she was, kissing her kitty, her chaton. Two of the boys she loved that were one in the same.

And she never wanted to let go.

Chat held her tight against his figure, using his free hand to hold her chin as he kissed her back fervently. Each small little movement of his mouth against hers making her fall in love all over again. She arched her back against him and smiled through their kiss.

What did she do to deserve someone as amazing as the boy in front of her right now? Oh, what she wouldn’t give to have him feel as amazing and as light as she was right now. Marinette was absolutely positive that the feeling of his lips on hers were making her float on the spot.

She broke away first, for fear of flying too high off the ground.

“So,” she said, booping him on the nose, “looks like the cat finally found his lady.”

Marinette made sure to get in close to his ear before whispering the name that was on the tip of her tongue.

“-Adrien.”

He looked at her, mouth agape.

“ _Marinette._ ” He scooped her up in his arms, carrying her bridal style. Even in the dark, she was able to make out the dopiest, most lovestruck smile on his face “My lady, my princess, my bugaboo!” He quickly transformed, bathing the dark room in a flash of light before letting the moonlight paint them over.

She laughed as he nuzzled his nose against her cheek and whispered, “My Marinette.”

Adrien spun her round and round, laughing their lungs out with pure ecstasy and joy. Ahead of them, there was a new journey; a paved road that they were going to walk together. There were no more secrets to be had between them. They were two free souls, allowing themselves to love each other without restraint. If life were to throw them any obstacles, then they would face it together.

It would be them against the world, just like he said.

When he put her down and kissed her again, Marinette responded in kind.

She fiddled with the bow in her hair as she did so.

Marinette was going to have to pay Eerie back for _this_ one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huh i wonder what marinette's gonna try and pull off next


	8. Investigator Ruby

“Both of you guys knew?!”

“Mhm!” Eerie nodded.

Adrien stared at them in wide-eyed shock, and Eerie had to resist the urge to snicker at his bewilderment. It was funny how oblivious these kids could be, given how the entire city’s safety was in their hands. It wasn’t that she thought that they were incompetent at their jobs. Far from it, actually. They could just be a little out of the loop sometimes.

Adrien tilted his head. “How long?”

It was then Connor decided to chip in. “About a few weeks ago, after the whole ‘akuma’ incident thing happened.” It was really impressive to Eerie how much french Connor learned in the short few weeks they’d spent in Paris. He really was capable of a lot of things if he ever just got the right motivation.

“Besides.” Eerie said. “You two weren’t exactly subtle.”

Marinette shot Eerie a murderous look, but she just shrugged it off and sipped her coffee. Her cheeks were too squishy. Too cute. It made her attempts at intimidation useless.

“Meanwhile, we’ve been hard at work chasing bad guys. Haven’t we, Eerie?”

“If you could even call it that.” Eerie looked to the side, choosing to take a sip of her drink. It was true that they  _ were _ working their butts off. But to be honest, they hadn’t made much leeway into the case, and it was starting to take a toll on her. Most cases would’ve been wrapped up by now, but they still hadn’t even put a dent in it. Any leads they got were a dead-end; a taunting maze that looped round and round.

Which was why Connor suggested they meet their new friends at a cafe he saw down the road, to take their mind off of things. And not for the first time, Eerie jumped at his offer for a break.

Eerie made a mental note to thank him again later for the idea. The pleasant sunshine and the quiet chatter of people around them did wonders for her mood. It was a welcome distraction.

Marinette piped up. “Hey, I have an idea!” She shot up, her hand still intertwined with Adrien’s. “Let’s all go to the park!”

Adrien smiled up at his new girlfriend, and Eerie had to resist the urge to coo at how obviously smitten he was with her. These two were going to be the death of Eerie, and it was going to be the sweetest way to go.

“That’s a great idea, Marinette!” Adrien said, squeezing her hand.

Marinette leaned forward on the table. “Eerie, you can bring Connor!”

Eerie choked on her drink. “What?!”

“Great!” She yanked Adrien out of his seat, already on a beeline out of the way, leaving the two stunned. “Let’s go!”

Eerie turned to look at Connor, who seemed to be just as bewildered as she was. When they made eye contact, he blinked rapidly, as if he'd just dreamt everything that transpired in the past 10 seconds.

“Well…” Eerie drawled. “We’ll just be watching them, right?”

“R-right!” He sputtered. “To keep things romantic for the kids!”

“What else would we be spending a sunny day in the park for?”

They both blinked, looking at each other with a question that was best unanswered.

“Nothing!” They said in unison

“Absolutely nothing.” Connor continued, coughing into his fist.

Eerie cleared her throat. “Okay! Um, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Connor followed closely behind, yet Eerie wasn’t aware of how hot it suddenly got under his shirt.

* * *

The sound of children playing the park tickled Eerie’s ears as she basked in the same sunlight once again. Her and Connor were situated in the same bench Eerie and Marinette were in those weeks ago when the girl realized her feelings for Chat, or rather, Adrien. It was a bit poetic, she supposed, to be chaperoning the two in the same spot where it all started.

Eerie nudged Connor’s side. “They look cute, don’t ya think?”

He rolled his shoulders, letting out a content sigh. “Yep! And it’s all your fault, boss.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Oh,  _ look _ at them, Eerie.” He used a gloved hand to point at the two kids, who were sharing an ice cream cone by the fountain. It looked like the cover of a cheesy rom-com; two smitten teens that looked at each other like they were the other’s world. Eerie rated it 10/10, would ship again. “They’re adorable! Nothing that precious could ever be a bad thing.”

The two seemed to notice Connor and Eerie watching them, and Adrien waved. Marinette however, sent a cheeky wink her way, nodding while giving her a thumbs up.

_ Does she think she’s being subtle?! _

Eerie inwardly groaned. This girl was definitely up to something. She’d had enough of this from Jemina and her own mother back home, she didn’t need even more people trying to meddle in her relationship with Connor! Besides, even though they  _ were _ close friends, it didn’t mean they had any right to try and see something that wasn’t there.

Luckily, Connor didn’t mention it. “I don’t think I’m ever going to forget your face when I showed you that photo of them kissing.”

She snorted. “Do you really think the hotel staff aren’t gonna notice that they have an entire fork missing?”

“Shh, it’s in the trash, they’ll never know about it.”

“I hope not. Otherwise, I’d be doing time for cutlery-slaughter.”

“Eerie Escamilla, you have been found guilty of the murder of Forky the Fingers, so I sentence you to three more weeks in Paris.” He motioned his fist as if he was throwing down a gavel.

She laughed at that, wacking him in the shoulder.

“Sh! Forky the Fingers is actually overseas indefinitely, remember?”

His mouth formed an ‘o’. “Right, right. My bad, I forgot.”

“It was still a nice photo, don’t you think?”

Connor hummed in agreement.

It was a blurry photo, but it still lit all of the news outlets of Paris like a figurative fire that was still storming. It was a zoom-in of Ladybug and Chat Noir sharing a tender kiss atop the Eiffel Tower, their faces aglow from the lights below. According to Connor, it came out just a few days after their little operation took place, and Eerie would’ve been lying to herself if she said it didn’t send a rush of pride through her. Finally, she was able to see the beautiful fruits of her labor. In the form of two gushy, smitten teenagers

“I hope you’re proud of yourself, Eerie.”

She snorted. “Oh, you have no idea.”

“I don’t doubt you are, they look so happy!” She looked again to see Marinette feeding Adrien a spoonful of mint ice cream. Eerie swore that if they got any sweeter, she was going to get a cavity or two.

Connor was right, but the word ‘happy’ didn’t do them justice. They looked content, complete with each other. Which was ridiculous, they were only about 15. Yet, Eerie found herself the tiniest bit envious of Marinette and what she was able to find with her partner. Eerie never got to have much experience in the romance department herself, since her career always came first.

Sure enough, as soon as the thought came to her, she blurted it out before she could stop it.

“I wish I could have something like that.”

Her hands flew to her mouth, as if that would undo the damage. What the hell did she just say? She turned to Connor, and sure enough, he was looking at her. His mouth was in a slack jawed smile so wide she could practically hear him hooting in disbelief.

He rested his hand on his chin. “Eerie, I didn’t take you for a romantic!”

“Do not tell  _ anyone _ what I just said, you hear me?”

“But Eerie-”

He was cut off by her finger being pressed against his lips. Eerie only hoped he’d get the message. She knew that he knew those hands could kill a man if she ever dared try.

“Tell. No one.”

Connor laughed, lightly pushing the hand away from his face. “Don’t worry, Eerie. Your secret’s safe with me.”

She froze.

_ Your secret’s safe with me. _

He was probably joking, right? He was just speaking to her like he always did. They spoke all the time! There wasn’t any reason to be worried over him speaking certain words at all. Speaking was something they did regularly.

Why then, did the single sentence make her heart flutter like it was nothing? It felt like a dam building inside of her finally reached its full capacity and gave in, letting the water flood. But for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why.

Then she looked at Connor.

His focus was away from her, instead fidgeting with his gloves. A stray tongue poked out of his mouth as he tried to fix whatever was wrong with them; Eerie didn’t really care, her mind was otherwise occupied.

Could she actually have a crush on him?

No, no way. That was completely out of the question. Sure, he’d been her boss-partner for over a year now, and that he’d become more important to her than she ever thought he would, but their relationship wasn’t anything more than that. There were times where he absolutely drove her up the wall!

But, there were the other times.

The other times when she was able to let herself be weak in front of him. The times where she had a nervous breakdown at work, or some other place, and he was always there for her. There to make a safe space for her to be vulnerable and cared about. Something that was so alien and unknown to her before, but he let her into a world where it wouldn’t be anymore; where she could truly let her guard down and just  _ be. _

Connor was soft, compassionate and gentle. At the surface, some would’ve dismissed him as a slob who didn’t know how to dress to impress. A false conclusion that she worked hard to correct wherever she could. He might not know how to tie a tie properly, but he sure as hell made up for it with his never ending love and support for his team. He was just so much more Eerie could ever have asked for in a co-worker. As a detective. As a friend.

_ As a partner. _

Partner.

Why did they even use that to refer to each other? They could’ve called each other by anything else, really. Intern, boss, co-worker. But everytime, their go-to was always the cherished title of ‘partner’. It was vague and left room for interpretation. Sure, it was a bit confusing to others, but maybe a little part of her hoped it would’ve meant more than she initially thought it to be.

Was Marinette right?

Eerie never actually felt the need to be more than she wanted to be around him. Never felt like she had to go above and beyond for someone else’ sake anymore, because she found it was never necessary with Connor. When she first joined the unit, they welcomed her with open arms and let her make mistakes, saying that she could always learn from them. A stark difference from what she expected in a work environment.

Connor in particular was her friend, probably her closest, and she knew she could count on him. Always. He knew her better than anyone else ever did, she told him things that no one else ever heard. She’d seen a side of him that no one else ever got to see. It was just a fact as true as the sky was blue and that grass was green. Their dynamic as partners had a chemistry that she’d never had before with  _ anyone, _ and Eerie dared wonder if that was the only place she was going to find it.

When she looked at him, she was reminded of late nights spent in an office working on cases that were solved by sunrise through nothing but their teamwork alone. Reminded of overnight stakeouts where she’d eat the snacks and he’d munch on the wrappers. Nights spent comforting him after he’d had a really bad nightmare, holding his delicate bare hand in both of her own, and getting to support him the same way he always supported her.

If Connor noticed that Eerie was strangely absent during their walk back to the hotel, he didn’t mention it.

She was too busy thinking.

Thinking, thinking, thinking.

Her mind was a flurry of question marks, scruffy ears, fluffy tails, warm memories, messily organized pillow forts, evening stakeouts that could’ve been dates if she wished hard enough, hugs that meant the world to her, unspoken expressions of gratitude she was too much of a coward to say. She was too caught up in her own world of tv static when one sentence rang in her head, making her stop dead in her tracks.

_ ‘You’re gonna be safe with me.’ _

Her heart caught in her throat.

…

Of course she was going to be safe with him.

She always was.

There wasn’t any use denying it anymore.

“Hey Connor?”

“Hm?” He looked back up at her, discarding the stone he was kicking across the sidewalk.

Eerie took the opportunity to wrap him in a big hug, as tight as she could get. She rested her nose where his shoulder met his neck, because she wanted to embrace his scent; bask in his being and let herself be covered by it. She felt so warm in his arms, and she wanted all of it, professional boundaries be damned. She knew he’d be okay with it anyway. She didn’t want to deny herself of him anymore.

When Connor responded by pulling her in even tighter by the waist, she voiced no complaint.

A small niggling feeling in the back of her head worried that he’d be able to read her and find out about her new discovery regarding her feelings. A bigger part of her knew he’d never do it without her permission.

But the tiniest, miniscule part of her wished he would.

If Eerie had to deal with a weird, awkward crush when it came to working with Connor, she was going to take it happily. She was just going to have to do her best to at least  _ try _ and focus on her work.

She just had to hope that idea was going to stay intact for as long as she needed it to be.

_ How long was that going to be though? _

She had no idea.

Eerie pulled away first, and every fibre in her being screamed to go back to him; her safety. Instead, she just pushed a stray hair out of the way of her forehead and looked away.

Connor stepped forward, leaning just slightly so he could approach her yet still not encroach on her personal space. “Eerie, everything alright?”

“I’m fine.” She blurted. “L-let’s just go now, please.”

She didn’t wait for a reply. She just kept walking forward. If she had to listen to his voice any longer she’d melt up melting into the pathway like the puddle of goo she felt like whenever she was around him. How did she not notice it before

Eerie Escamilla had a crush on Connor MacThomas.

No, not just a crush.

A crush was a quick peck on the cheek. A sweet admiration from afar that didn’t hold enough substance. It was a small glimmer of light that shone through the smallest window on a hazy Friday morning. Crushes were sweet and innocent; chaste. Nice enough, but it was a fraction of what he meant to her. Of what he  _ was _ to her.

What she felt about him was like a cozy campfire. A light and warmth that burned within her and kept her all warm and fuzzy inside, making her days feel a shade brighter whenever his handsome face showed up to work. It wasn’t something that made her weak around him, but instead, she was stronger with his help.

Could she be in love with him?

“Eerie, look!”

She turned around to see him covered in trash, his white shirt stained with condiments she didn’t even recognize. His foot was still in a bin, yet he wore the proudest smile on his face as he waved around a pastry that looked crumpled beyond repair.

“I found a croissant!” He stumbled as he pulled a foot out of the bin and scrambled his way towards her. He held out the trashed abomination and presented it to her. “You want it?”

She turned away, smiling. “No thanks boss, you can have it.”

“Alrighty then, if you say so.” He happily stuffed the thing in his mouth, smacking his lips. He spoke with his mouth full. “It’s too bad you can’t taste it the same way I do. The garnish really adds a zing to it if you let it.”

“I don’t doubt you.”

Not one bit.

They continued their walk back to their hotel to work on their case, but now, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind.

She had it  _ bad. _

* * *

Connor scratched his head, staring at the mess of papers and yarn that was their corkboard for what honestly felt like the third time tonight. Didn’t he have something better to do? “I don’t think this is adding up.”

“I know, I know, I just-” Eerie turned around, flailing her arms, “I just need some time to think about it.”

“Take all the time you need, boss.” Connor deadpanned. “It’ll be here when you get back.” He said that as if stating the obvious was going to help.

Eerie plopped herself onto the counter stool with a sigh. “You’re not helping, MacThomas.”

“Look, I’m doing what I can, but it’s not like we’ve made much progress here.” He dropped his head, then turned to her. It seemed like Eerie wasn’t the only one feeling the heat of the burn tonight. “I mean, look!” Gesturing to the board, he made way for all of the ‘X’s on it that showed up, eliminating one botched theory after another.

“You think I don’t know that?!” She yelled. Despite what they told Marinette and Adrien earlier, the case was still going absolutely nowhere. Every single time they thought they had a way in, the door would be shut in their face. Sometimes, even literally. Eerie knew that she and Connor were capable of a lot of things, but she was really hoping this case wouldn’t be the one to break their good streak.

“All I’m saying is there’s got to be something we’re missing.” Connor made his way to her, bending his knees so he was at eye level. When he curled his fists in front of her in what he probably thought was a motivating way, she had to resist the urge to punch him in the face. “C’mon. Think, Eerie. Think!”

“I am!” She spat.

It felt like she’d just fired a gun in his face, because Connor instantly shot back, eyes wide open from her sudden outburst. A sudden pang of guilt settled within her stomach but she elected to ignore it, instead favoring the side of her that screamed for independence from the man that was in her face.

She held his gaze, too proud to back down now.

“I’m thinking, I just need  _ space. _ ” She hissed, hoping it had enough bite that he’d get the message.

Connor’s posture straightened.

“Uh.” He coughed into his fist. “Okay then. I’ll uh, give you some space then. Alright.” Pacing his way back to the board, he got back to work analyzing the clues they got, as if that was going to help them.

Eerie focused herself back to going over all of their leads in hopes that she missed something important. It was probably best to start back at square one. There were the three families, one of which owned Le Grand Paris Hotel. At first, it seemed obvious that if there was any kind of money laundering scheme, it would be coming from them, hence why the three figures always seemed so secretive. There was a casino at the hotel, plenty easy for dirty money to go in and out without anyone knowing it. But as per Connor’s findings, they dismissed the idea.

_ Why did I yell at Connor like that- _

She shook her head, propping up her elbow on the counter and massaging her brow with her index and middle finger. Now wasn’t the time, she needed to focus and work.

After that botched idea, Eerie thought that if there was money going in, maybe by truck or some other means, a stakeout might’ve helped. They got stocked up on a neighboring building, binoculars at the ready. But after an uneventful evening, they found nothing but a few drunks wandering outside the hotel. They even played a game of counting how many there were.

_ He didn’t deserve to be treated like that- _

Eerie told the annoying voice in her head that there were very much more important things to do right now.

_ More important than Connor? _

Yes, more important than Connor.

They kept going like that, lead after lead they chased, only to find themselves back where they started every single time. None of it was adding up. It all led them on a wild goose chase until it pulled them back into the same place they started in. There was nothing they were able to get their hands on that Connor could green-pin. He always loved color-coding his evidence; said it looked prettier that way-

_ He’s probably hurting right now. _

Eerie sat up.

Was he?

She turned around to see Connor still looking at the board, just like before. But he looked… absent. As if he wasn’t actually present in the room. To any other set of eyes, it would’ve gone overlooked. But Eerie didn’t miss the way his tail flopped downwards without the usual life and energy it had. How his usually blue vibrant eyes sank a little lower than usual.

He didn’t even bother running his hand along the cork like he always loved to.

_ Oh. _

She had to squeeze her eyes shut.

Eerie turned around in her chair, she couldn’t look at him now. She’d really gone and screwed it up, hadn’t she? Figured, she’d let her emotions get the best of her and it caused an important case to go down the drain. Not only that, but she’d hurt Connor in the process. She had no right to yell at him like that when all he was asking from her was some assistance.

It made her feel sick in her stomach to think of what he thought of her right now. Was he upset? Sad? Bitter? The thought of Connor of all people thinking of her in such a way sent a pain through her chest. What was worse, was that he had every right to be. He’d never think that, would he? Maybe he would now, since she just went ahead and outed herself as the worst partner ever.

Maybe he didn’t even want to call her that anymore.

What was going to happen once they went back to work? Connor probably wouldn’t want to work with someone so callous and insensitive. Jemina wouldn’t want to help her since she would come to realize that there were others on the team who deserved her attention more. Chief would just take her off the team entirely if she was that much of a harm to the staff on his unit. Infighting was something they couldn’t afford with their budget, after all…

Then she’d have to  _ really _ go back to square one. Go back and do it all over again. Working herself mad in a room that felt too cold and unfamiliar to be called her own. People that came to her only for what she could offer them, in a place where her presence went unwanted. She’d be thrust back into a world where she’d receive only if she gave first.

A world she’d thought she’d left behind when she joined the cursed unit.

How foolish she was.

How could she do that to people that cared so much about her?

Why did she have to let her emotions get the better of her?

She didn’t hear Connor speak up from across the room.

“Hey Eerie, what’s that thing doing here…”

There was so much that they let her have. A place to call her own, a family that she could really let her guard down around. Neverending love and support that showered her and made her feel appreciated, not for what she did for them, but purely for who she was. They  _ loved _ her. Plain and simple. Yet, what did she ever give them in return?

Nothing, absolutely nothing.

She didn’t deserve to be with them.

It was just the truth.

The unshed tears in her eyes stung with a pain that didn’t feel anything near the agony that was eating her alive in her chest. She was going to lose  _ everything she loved and cherished, _ and it was her fault for making a mistake. A stupid, stupid, mistake that could’ve been avoided if she just got a better handle of herself-

“Wait, Eerie-!”

Eerie could only vaguely hear Connor’s desperate pleas over the dark, promising voice that filled her ears.

_ “Investigator Ruby, I am Hawkmoth…” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry im sor-


	9. BEEP BEEP!

Connor didn’t know what to do.

One moment, he was trying to get a closer look at their board, trying to make sense of the mess and clutter. The next, he saw a purple butterfly flitting in through the glass window.

Straight towards Eerie.

He was too late, the akuma already made contact with Eerie, and a purple glowing mask outlined her eyes. An ugly detail that he didn’t want anywhere near her. It was the same mask as the one he saw on the akuma he fought during the ball. The sight of it was enough to make him shiver. There was no way she could actually turn into one of them, could she?

Connor bolted across the room, nearly knocking over their board from how hard he spun. He had to make it before Hawkmoth even got the chance to even try and turn Eerie into another one of his minions.

The thought of that was enough to make his skin crawl.

“Eerie, look at me.” He whispered, but she made no response. “I can’t hear what he’s saying to you in there but I swear to you, you are worth so much more than whatever he’s offering you. You can fight it Eerie, you can-”

He choked.

“ _ Please, _ fight it, Eerie I-” Taking a shaky breath, he continued. “I… I lo-”

He couldn’t say it.

It died on his tongue.

It was from his thoughtless actions that she was in this mess in the first place. Given how upset she was just a few minutes before, it was no wonder she’d make the perfect fodder for Hawkmoth’s akuma. A stressed out detective that was pushed over the edge by her idiot of a partner.

When he was trying to encourage Eerie, he only meant to try and lift her spirits. He swore there was no ill meaning behind it. Besides, the day he tried to hurt Eerie was the day hell froze over. There was no way he’d want her to be hurt in any way, that would be his undoing. Smart, resilient Eerie that was now being made victim to the mental manipulation of a terrorist, and he could do nothing but watch helplessly.

_ My fault. _

Connor fell on the chair beside her.

_ My fault, my fault, my fault. _

All Connor could do now was just sink his head as he awaited for Eerie to be turned into another accomplice for Hawkmoth.

“Eerie,” he croaked, “I’m sorry.”

His lip quivered. Pathetic as he was at that moment.

“I’m so,  _ so _ sorry.”

There were no other words he could say. Any other words he tried to get across would be met with a brick wall. If he could, then he swore by all that he lived by, he would’ve tried. But all of his attempts fell short; her face unmoving. Besides, there was no point in even trying to say just how much of an idiot he was. It was his fault, and now she was paying the price for it.

He had little time to react when Eerie grasped Connor’s hand in her own.

It caught him by surprise. She rarely did anything like this to him. At any other moment, he would’ve been jumping for joy, but he was only racked with guilt. It was tight enough that he could read her if he wanted to. She made it clear that it was something he could do only with her permission, but maybe she wanted him to? Maybe she wanted him to feel every single ounce of hurt she was feeling. Make him feel just as angry and as pissed as she was right now.

Given how irritating he could be sometimes, she had every right to be.

Connor focused his attention to his hands, where he felt…

_ Comfort. _

He blinked, feeling like he was just hit in the face with a frying pan. The sudden wave of whiplash caught him off guard, but he eventually brought himself back to his senses. A new wave of focus within him, he focused again on his hands, making sure he could get a good read.

_ Focus. Discernment. Observing. _

There was an overwhelming intensity to Eerie that was so strong that he had to close his eyes as one more emotion came through. An emotion that made him smile as he tried to hold back the tears of relief.

_ Determination. _

It was a feeling that was only present when she had that predatory glint in her eye. The emotion that shone through when they were about to pin an elusive criminal to the wall. It was a passion that made Connor fall for her all over again, if such a thing was even possible. Eerie was about to absolutely own whoever hid behind the other side of that damn mental connection, and Connor didn’t even realize it.

She snapped her fingers with her other hand, the one that wasn’t holding tightly to his own, and pointed a thumb behind her. At the other end of her thumb, a notebook that lay abandoned on their kitchen counter. He stood up, ready to do whatever she needed him to do. The stool he sat on fell to the tile with a loud  _ bang, _ but he was too excited and filled with a saving relief to care about any kind of cheap hotel furniture.

Still holding onto Eerie for dear life, he grabbed the notebook with his other hand as well as a pen. Out of the many things Eerie Escamilla was capable of, being an amazing leader and problem solver was up there in his list. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that whatever she was planning was going to be good, and that they were going to crack open the greatest case Paris had ever seen.

Eerie tapped his hand with her finger, and he recognized the pattern quickly. A few months fresh into their partnership, Connor suggested they learn Morse if ever they need it. Thankfully, Eerie gladly accepted. They actually picked it up pretty quickly, but that was to be expected of her, as always.

Connor scrawled into the notebook as quick as he could. His handwriting wasn’t extremely neat, but it would make do.

_ 2-2-4-8-3… _

The taps came to a stop, which made him pause for a second. Connor looked up at Eerie, who seemed to be squinting at something in the distance, as if she was trying to look closer at something that was too far to look at clearly. She gave a quick nod at Hawkmoth, all while tapping Connor’s hand once again.

_ …9-5-1 _

_ 2-2-4-8-3-9-5-1 _

In front of him were 8 digits, none of which meant anything to Connor. A phone number, perhaps? A postal code? Nevertheless, Eerie probably had a better idea than he did. It was her job to give the scrappy clues he gave her meaning and substance. She was smart that way.

Eerie spoke again, presumably to Hawkmoth. Connor still wanted to claw away at the cursed shape that hid her features, but that was still a no go since that would  _ definitely _ hurt her. “And what happens once you get the miraculous?”

Ah, she was keeping him talking. Classic negotiator move! They had an earlier conversation about how she’d studied strategies from other branches of work, which Connor groaned at how much work that sounded like. In response to that, she stuck her tongue out, telling him how it was bound to help them down the line somehow. At the time, he seriously doubted it, but once again, he proved her wrong.

Ever full of surprises, Eerie was.

Eerie tapped his hand, which was still in her own. This time, more assertive. When he looked up to see what she was doing on her end, he saw that her gaze was scouring the room. Or in this case, another room. It was so strange to him, how she could be both here, present with him yet still be in connection with another person.

Connor got back to writing.

_ L-A-R-G-E-R-O-O-M _

_ D-A-R-K _

_ U-N-D-E-R-G-R-O-U-N-D _

Now  _ that _ made a lot more sense to Connor. If Hawkmoth had a lair or headquarters of some kind, then tracking that place down would be child’s play, given just how much experience they had between the two of them. He internally chuckled at the fact that somehow, they’d managed to snag enough information about Hawkmoth's whereabouts in a matter of minutes. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for them to get by.

When she paused, he looked back to her again, and her gaze was flipping up and down, as if assessing someone’s attire or outfit.

“A wish?” She asked, sending another message Connor’s way.

_ C-O-L-D-E-Y-E-S _

Cold eyes?

_ T-A-L-L-F-I-G-U-R-E _

Tall figure.

_ T-H-I-N-F-R-A-M-E _

Thin frame.

Eerie let out a low hum, and Connor knew exactly what it meant.

Hawkmoth had no strings on her.

“Thanks.” She said, sending a side-eyed smile Connor’s way, it was as if he could actually see him. And at that, he felt his heart burst in his chest. “But no thanks. I’ll be fine.” 

Eerie smirked.

“We’ll see you soon, Hawkmoth.”

Eerie gave his hand one last gentle squeeze. The signal he was waiting for this whole time. Aching hands made its way to the bow on the back of her hair, gently removing it from her mossy green locks before violently tearing it apart, just like how he saw Ladybug did in the news videos they’d watched in the Bath-Bed. Out of the bow flew the familiar corrupted butterfly that he  _ longed _ to chomp on like the bug it was.

However, that probably wouldn’t have sat well with Eerie. So, he opted on quickly grabbing an empty glass on the coffee table. Time seemed to slow down as he trapped the butterfly in the glass, covering it with his hand before swiftly sliding it onto the counter face-down. The winged creature flitted around in its glass prison, frantically fluttering, directionless, for any means of escape.

_ Trust me buddy, this was the better option. _

After letting out a deep breath, he turned to Eerie. She had a hand on her chest, breathing just as heavy as he was. He was just about to ask if she was okay when she spoke up first.

“I did it.” She whispered.

Connor felt the tension release from his shoulders.

“You did it.” A bright sense of pride colored his words.

She spoke again, louder this time. “I did it.”

“You did.”

The widest smile found its way on her face, and Connor found it hard to resist it when he felt his own lips curl. She was practically  _ glowing. _

“Connor, I did it!”

Eerie jumped at him, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck and pulling him close in the tightest hug he’d ever gotten. Connor circled his arms around her waist and hoisted her feet off the ground, spinning her round and round. Of course she did it! Out of all of the people that would’ve been able to outsmart Hawkmoth, it would’ve been her. He should never have doubted her in the first place. The smart, lovable partner that was Eerie always pulled through in the end. Connor wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he ever lost her a second time. The first time was bad enough.

They whooped and hollered in their hotel room so loud that they might’ve gotten complaints later, but he quite honestly couldn’t care. There were clearly much more important things to do. Things like celebrating with a work partner because they’d just beaten a literal supervillain!

Connor hid his face in her neck, emitting a playful groan from the depths of his chest. “You’re the best!”

When he set her down on the floor, she held his face in both of her hands and beamed.

“Connor, I could kiss you!”

His breath hitched in his throat.

Eerie’s eyes flew open, as if she’d just had the air knocked out of her.

“I-I mean-”

She was cut off when Connor held her tight as his lips came down to hers.

The first thing that he realized about Eerie’s lips were that they were very,  _ very _ warm to the touch. She tasted slightly sweet, probably from the lip balm she put on earlier. Actually feeling her mouth on his was as if every inch of movement his mouth made against hers set his entire face on fire. Maybe his face actually was on fire, but kissing Eerie, it made no difference. There was barely any room to think when he was holding her so close to himself, trying to fill as much of his senses with her. 

The second thing that Connor noticed was the way her arm snaked around his neck to hold him in even tighter. A small feeling of  _ alive _ exploded in his chest, oversaturating his being with love for the woman in his arms, who could kill him and simultaneously breathe him back to life with nothing but a kiss. When Eerie used her free hand to scritch the spot behind his ear, he knew he was done for. That was his favorite spot, and she knew it. There was only so much he could take before he’d end up melting through the floor.

Eerie. She was someone that he didn’t even know he’d fallen for until it was all but too late for him. Their memories together weren’t memories they tried to make, but just ones they made screwing around and having fun under the guise of ‘work’. Their relationship wasn’t perfect; far from it, but it was perfect because they both tried. No one knew him like she did, and Connor was pretty sure that there was no one out there that would ever mean the same to him.

Connor always wore his heart on his sleeve; it was just part of who he was. But instead of choosing to look over it like everyone else, she embraced it fully. Underneath the rolled eyes, the heavy sighs, he knew that she was fine with his quirky flaws and rough edges. It was part of his person, yet she still somehow dealt with him for it.

And not a day went by that he was eternally grateful for it.

Connor tilted his head, deepening their kiss. The low hum Eerie gave in response sent his head reeling _. _ Something bloomed in his chest at the sound, and for the first time in forever, he let it take control. When she took his bottom lip in both of hers, he was pretty sure that his heart would’ve exploded and burst in front of her. But given how much of it was just poured out, it might as well. Connor dared wonder if he could push the slightest bit further…

Bright blue eyes shot open as soon as Connor realized that he was  _ actually kissing Eerie. _

The very same person that he swore he could never start anything with.

_ BEEP BEEP! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, MACTHOMAS?! _

Connor shot back, stepping away so far that he was almost on the opposite side of the room. Which given its size, wasn’t much. Regardless, it still might as well be as big as the ocean given how far away she felt. But no, this was his intern, for goodness sake! What the hell was he thinking, smushing his mouth onto hers?!

_ Her mouth was very soft though- _ SHUT UP.

Eerie looked at him confused, clearly still in a daze. Her hair was free and tussled, springing up in a way that he loved to see. But not like this. He was sure the view of her looking very thoroughly kissed would forever be replaying in his mind, plaguing him forever until the day he died.

_ Connor MacThomas: Professional Detective who also cannot control himself when it comes to his feelings for his Boss-Intern _

“Sorry!” He sputtered, wiping his stupid mouth. There was still the taste of her strawberry chapstick on his lips and if it was there any longer there was  _ no way _ he’d be able to resist any longer. Curse his inability to think about anything other than Eerie’s soft, warm lips. Gah! “Sorry, I shouldn’t have- that was weird. I’m weird.”

Blinking, Eerie pointed at herself. “Was…  _ I _ weird?”

Connor shot his hands up in protest. “No! No, you’re not weird. The kiss was weird, not you.” What the actual hell was coming out of his mouth right now?

When Eerie brought a manicured nail to her lips, it took Connor every inch of composure to try not to self-combust right then and there. Deep orange eyes flew wide open in shock as the situation suddenly registered her. Oh no, she finally realized that they actually freakin’ kissed. Could he try and play it off as an accident?

“You… kissed me.” Her words were shaky.

“I know!” Connor threw his hands up in the air. How in the world was he going to talk himself out of this one? “I’m  _ so _ sorry, I shouldn’t have- shouldn’t have just-” In a desperate attempt to finish his pathetic mess of a sentence, he smushed his gloved hands together, as if that would actually communicate what he was failing miserably to say.

It was almost as if Eerie could read his desperate, zooming attempts in his brain to salvage what little he could to save their purely professional relationship, because she piped up first. “I-I-It’s fine! It’s not like you’re-  _ in love _ with me or anything, right?”

She couldn’t have been more wrong. He was in so deep for her. Every time she walked into a room, he could feel his heart beat the tiniest bit harder and faster even a year later. The way she worked so hard to get where she was inspired him everyday to do the same wherever he could. He’d fallen hopelessly for her every time she took charge in their work, showing him just how capable she was in being both an impeccable detective yet compassionate leader. There was never a department where she completely floored him.

There was nothing more that Connor wanted than to treat her with the best he could offer. He thought of taking her to his house where they would be able to watch silly children’s movies late into the night, snoozing in his giant pillow fort with the secret tunnel into the secret chamber of pillows where they’d tell each other scary stories. And if some stories were too scary for her, he’d sing her to sleep even though he was a crappy singer. It didn’t matter to either of them, as long as he was singing to her to help her sleep.

But instead, he went the cowards route.

“No.” He shook his head. “No, of course not. That would be so unprofessional-”

“-ridiculous!” Eerie interrupted, as if trying to do that thing where she’d finish his sentence.

“Unprofessional.” She corrected herself, trying to tame the flustered cowlicks in her hair, but they kept flinging up despite her efforts. But Eerie with her hair down was one of Connor’s favorite Eeries. “Yeah, that’d be unprofessional, boss.”

_ Boss. _

He had to resist the urge to cringe.

Connor coughed into his fist, thinking it would quell the yearning in his heart.

“Besides!” He said, a little louder than was necessary. Where was his calm when he needed it most? “W-we’re in Paris! Everything is romantic. It’s the City of Love!”

Eerie let out a high-pitched noise from her throat, startling the both of them. Clearing her throat, she continued. “But, it  _ wasn’t _ romantic.” It wasn’t?

“Of course not. It was just the moment.”

“Yep! It was just- the moment was just so emotional, y’know?”

Right, she was probably just too caught up in the moment to say no. Of course there was no way she’d actually want to kiss him. Despite how heavenly it was to hold her tight in his arms, to hear the wonderful sounds she made while her mouth was pressed against his, it was too good to be real. Romance was just something that he could never seem to get a hold of. Naturally, that meant he stopped trying in that particular department in favor of just doing his job and getting work done. So despite everything in him that  _ screamed _ to confess himself to her, he just nodded a little too quickly.

“Yes. It was the moment. Mhm. Yes, that was it.” If the earth were to swallow him up whole at that exact moment, that would’ve been great. Maybe he could live with the maggots, they were probably a lot alike to how he felt. “The moment. Yep.”

Eerie straightened her posture, much more familiar to the woman Connor was used to. “Then, it’s settled! It was the moment, and we’ll leave it at that.”

“It was the moment, and nothing else.” Even though the annoying voice in his head screamed at him to say something else, something  _ more, _ he quickly squashed into the back of his mind. For Eerie’s sake, of course.

“Okay then.” She said. The finality of it all plagued his stomach. “This won’t change anything then?”

Connor knew that he wanted to say no. Knew that there was so much more waiting at the door if he just ripped off the band-aid and let himself say what was on his heart. It would’ve been a load off his chest if he just said it. That he  _ wanted _ things to change, and that he wanted something more than just to be friends at work. There was change right around the corner if he just took  _ one more step. _

But once again, he chickened out at the last second.

He let go of his bottom lip, which he didn’t even notice he was gnawing on.

“Doesn’t change a thing.”

Eerie paused, and Connor thought it might’ve been out of hesitation, but thought better of it.

“Good.”

And there was the nail in his coffin.

The two stood there in a suffocating awkward silence. There were so many words that Connor felt like were being left unsaid. Untold words and feelings that eluded them because either of them were too scared to admit to having them. Eerie probably had so much on her mind than he was. It was easy to tell by the way she tilted her head down slightly, trying to avoid his gaze. Though he wanted nothing more than to try and kiss her senseless, that thought died as soon as it came.

He couldn’t do that to her again. That would just be unfair of him.

When she caught sight of the mess that was their corkboard, she huffed. Eventually, she spoke up.

“I wasn’t expecting a case like this when Mr. D’argencourt called us.” At the mention of the name, something seemed to switch inside Connor, shining a spotlight on something important. “Chief probably isn’t gonna be too happy that he spent some of the budget on something like this overseas. Jemina too.”

“Wait.” Connor rubbed his chin. “Say that again.”

Eerie quirked a brow. “Chief and Jemina won’t be too happy?”

“No, no.” He looped his index finger on a horizontal axis, as if trying to rewind. “What you said before that.”

“Oh. I was just saying I didn’t expect a case this hard when Mr. D’argencourt called the unit.”

Mr. D’argencourt.

“Eerie, who did you say D’argencourt was again?”

Eerie plopped back down onto the stool and furrowed her brow. “He’s a local fencing teacher and politician. Why?”

“Right, but…” He mulled. There was just something that wasn’t adding up. A local politician that wanted an investigation done in the mayor’s hotel. The thought didn’t sit well with Connor, sending an uneasy feeling at the depths of his gut. Instead of listening to it though, he went to Eerie first. “Why would he commission us to investigate Le Grand Paris of all places?”

Eerie’s jaw suddenly went slack, as if she’d realized an important detail.

She grabbed her laptop and set it on the kitchen counter.

“Hold that thought.”

When she got to work, he couldn’t help but be struck idle by her sudden shift in demeanor. It was only when she tilted her head to signal him to come closer that he finally snapped out of it. Connor walked over, trying not to think about the closeness between them when he peered over her shoulder at the screen. She clicked open a web browser and got to work, entering up D'argencourt’s name into the search bar. As soon as she clicked enter, several news headlines popped up. Each of them dated from about 8-9 months ago.

_ ‘Bourgeois Defeats D’argencourt in Landslide Defeat for Mayor.’ _

_ ‘Regarding D’argencourt’s Humiliating Loss…’ _

_ ‘D’argencourt’s Flaming Response to The Media.’ _

There was one result that caught the eye of both detectives despite the different language. It was different, because it was dated more recently than the others.

One week before their unit received the call on the case.

_ ‘VIDEO: D’argencourt escorted from Le Grand Paris after breaking in. Swears revenge ‘in the name of Darkblade.’ _

Eerie clicked on it.

It was hard to tell exactly what was happening due to the vertical shaky footage. But Connor recognized the background as the very hotel that they’d been investigating. Out of the front door came two burly police officers, each holding an arm of a tall, lean man who kicked against them. The tall man cursed and yelled obscenities that Connor didn’t even know existed in the french language, all while yelling and resisting in a way that was hard to call ‘respectable’. In the background, there were people all speaking in hushed murmurs. Some of which even laughed at the man in question.

The video cut off after the policemen shoved D’argencourt into their vehicle with his butt sticking out of the doorway.

Connor and Eerie were silent in shock as the realization dawned on the both of them.

They’d been used.

Used by an angry french politician that was now probably facing court.

The two groaned in unison.

“Oh, for the love of-”

* * *

Eerie pulled in Marinette tight to her chest. There was so much more she wanted to do with her, yet it felt like they had such little time. The taste of a bittersweet goodbye was sour in her mouth, and she wanted to make it go away. But she had to go back home, back to her life in the states and back to her life at work. Paris was amazing, the people she met there even more so. And even though the case they were put on was on false grounds, they made the most of their time there by spending it with the two superhero kids.

Marinette held her even tighter, and Eerie was about ready to never let go. “You’re going to text, right?”

Eerie nodded, putting her hands on her shoulders so she could get one good look at the girl before boarding her flight. “Of course! You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

That seemed to lighten the mood, since Marinette gave a light chuckle. She reached a hand up to wipe her eye.

“Are you sure I can’t take you back home with me?” Eerie asked, hoping to keep the streak going. She was absolutely positive that if Marinette started crying, she would too. “I’m sure you can fit in my bag if you try hard enough.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could if I transformed.” Marinette quipped. It was funny how the girl could be so smart and cunning both with and without the mask when she wasn’t flustered out of her mind. She reminded Eerie of herself so much it was almost freaky. Maybe that was why she was so protective of her. “But I don’t know if Paris could afford to lose Ladybug for even a day. Adrien too, for that matter.”

At the mention of the name, the two turned to Adrien and Connor, who were sobbing in each other’s arms. It was endearing, really. Eerie couldn’t name why, but seeing Connor be able to be vulnerable with someone else made her want to warm a hand over her heart. It was just  _ adorable. _ She knew he’d be fine after just a few moments, but for now he had someone else to cry with. She was joking when she suggested that they were practically brothers, but it seemed she underestimated how close they’d actually become. What would his siblings think about a new addition to the family? Of the french kind?

Marinette nudged her. “Ooh Eerie, I think he needs a kiss to cheer him up.”

Her eyes went round, a blush creeping on her face. “Shh! Not so loud!” In a desperate attempt to get her to shush, she tried to place a finger over her mouth, but Marinette resisted. Even though she shifted her weight to try and use her height advantage, the girl was able to hold her own struggle. A struggle that was surprisingly even for her small stature.

Eerie relented. She knew better than to try and outmatch an actual superhero, despite however old they may be. Instead, she settled for poking her tongue out. “I regret telling you that.”

The only response Eerie got was a smug smirk and an unapologetic shrug. Ooh, the sneaky snake. This girl was the sweetest thing on the planet but there was always mischief around the corner with her.

After a few more teasing pokes from Marinette, the heat in her cheeks subsided, and Connor and Adrien managed to settle down enough for basic conversation. This was it, their flight was about to take off in just an hour, and the gate was right there. They told each other that they’d keep in touch after they left, and Eerie had every intent on following through. She’d never been able to connect with many people before, but Marinette had been so sweet and earnest with her, and Eerie didn’t want to lose that. The world just felt a little bit lighter with her around.

Meanwhile, Connor was still busy holding Adrien as tight as he could. Eerie couldn’t imagine how much he had on his chest. After the akuma incident they had, they managed to trace down Hawkmoth’s location in all but a matter of minutes. It was so weird, having a mental connection with him and being able to actually  _ see _ him sent shivers down her spine. She could see his cold, insincere gaze, see the dark blurred numbers etched into a massive metal pipe in the back. Even the  _ coldness _ of the room was there with her. She was in two different rooms at the exact same time.

Only one of them felt safe to her.

When Connor asked what the numbers meant, Eerie told him about Paris’ elaborate sewage system, and how they split it into sections based on location. Finding out what building matched up with the ID number she found would lead them straight to Hawkmoth’s location. Naturally, they got straight to work. A little bit of research later, they got not just a section, but an address.

A familiar one.

Agreste Manor.

It didn’t take a detective to put two and two together.

The two of them said one last final goodbye to the two kids before making their way to the gate. A deep sense of longing settled in her chest, and Eerie had a feeling it’d be there for at least a good while. She could sense it in Connor, too. His eyes were downcast, a small, sad smile on his face. He was okay, she could tell that. But his ears were still down, without their usual light.

“I know you want to look back.” Eerie lamented. She knew because she wanted to as well.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“It’s okay.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, wishing she could read him like he could. “I’ll do it with you, okay?.”

When they turned around to get one last look at the kids, they were greeted by the sight of them looking back as well. It was funny how they both had the same idea at the same time.

It felt like the cliche ending of a movie. Where the main cast said their goodbyes, never to see each other ever again. Indie music plays, credits roll. They might not be seeing each other in person anytime soon, not unless they get another case in Paris. But nevertheless, they’d still keep in touch. One way or another, Eerie wanted to be there for the kids no matter what. This wasn’t a goodbye, but just a ‘for now.’ A ‘for now’ that whispered promises of more to come, and Eerie couldn’t wait to see where it’d take them.

Marinette and Adrien smiled sweetly at them and waved brightly. Their smiles were so wide that Eerie could see them even through the bustling crowd of hurried flyers trying to go throughout their day. The world just kept on spinning, yet Eerie waved back, as well as Connor. Connor and Adrien had their own little competition to see who could wave the biggest, and Eerie had to resist the urge to whack him in the arm. Could he ever just compose himself for five minutes?

Maybe not, but that was one of the many things she loved about him.

Her heart warmed

She  _ loved _ him.

They boarded the plane, but neither of them mentioned the kiss again.

They both knew they had to address it properly eventually; without the pathetic excuses, but they didn’t. Not now.

It wasn’t the right time yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no there's gotta be m o r e


	10. The World Could Wait

Back home, life went on as usual.

Everything was just as it always was, with the same familiar faces and rooms that Eerie had grown attached to over the past year. She had no shame to admit that yes, she loved this place and the people in it even more so. And maybe, just maybe, she was coming to terms with the fact that she didn’t need to prove herself to be here. That maybe, there was no harm in being where one would be and just letting one be content in the moment.

Because back home, there were the people that loved her first.

Eerie opened her phone, smiling as she saw a familiar name on it. She’d have to get used to seeing french in her inbox now if Marinette was going to keep blowing up her phone this much. Not that Eerie was going to complain, of course.

 **_Marinette_ ** _\- he’s been extra cuddly lately lmao_

 **_Marinette_ ** _\- 1 Photo Attached_

The picture was of Adrien cuddled around Marinette’s lap. It seemed like he was asleep, a blissful smile on his face as he did so, like all was right in his own world. The sunlight trickled down overhead, painting him in a pretty light yellow that looked as warm as the sun itself. He was the only one in the frame, since the angle was looking down from Marinette’s perspective. Eerie wondered what it would’ve been like to have Connor cuddled around her like that…

_Now that’s a dangerous thought._

Eerie opened the door to the head chief’s office. “You wanted to see me?”

As soon as Eerie made herself known, the man behind the desk immediately stood up and made his way to her. He took off his hat and held it in both of his hands. “I just wanted to apologize for never actually looking into that case in Paris. It was my fault that you guys spent an entire month overseas for no reason, and you two paid for it by spending an entire month away from home.”

Eerie was just about to say something, but she wasn’t able to get a word in when he continued.

“Don’t say it’s okay, because it wasn’t. The call was from an unknown client, and that alone should’ve been enough reason for me to look further. So I’m sorry for that.” He bowed his head, something that sent Eerie in for a spin. “I can only hope you can forgive me.”

It shouldn’t have been so shocking to Eerie to see him apologizing. But it was just something so different than she was used to.

Eerie’s gaze softened. “You’re alright, chief. Don’t pull yourself apart.” It wasn’t as if the time they spent there was a _complete_ waste, anyway. “Besides, Paris was… _really_ fun.”

Fun.

Yeah.

It was fun.

When he sat back down in his office chair, it warmed her chest to see him smile. These people’s happiness made her happy in turn. The natural empathy of the human heart, she figured. “Take the day off, Escamilla.” He pointed a finger at her. “You deserve it, after all.”

There was probably no use resisting, was there?

“Alright.” Eerie nodded. She was just about to shut the door behind her when she remembered she needed to ask him something important. The door opened again with a high-pitched squeak, and the man looked back at her.

“Before I go,” Eerie asked, curious. “When did Jemina and Dennis get so close?”

In response, the man only shrugged and gave a low chuckle.

“Who knows? Not me.” Which Eerie knew was probably true, he wasn’t usually one to get involved in his officers’ personal affairs. At least not directly, from what she’d seen. It was a professionalism that Eerie used to envy. But then he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk.

“Now that you mention it…” He smirked, a telltale quirk of the brow present on his face. “They kind of remind me of you and Connor when you first joined.”

Eerie’s grip on the door tightened, almost breaking the wood.

Right, there was Connor. They’d only landed a few days ago, yet the kiss never left her mind. Her lips still lingered with a tingle that never left. As if the kiss never left her lips. Ugh, why did he have to kiss her on the _day_ she realized she had feelings for him? Curse his impeccable timing!

Even worse, his voice would come back with a vengeance from the depths of her mind. She’d be doing something simple, like doing the laundry or trying to work, when the same sentence would play over and over in her head, pulling itself out of the inner depths of her memory when she least expected it.

_‘You’re gonna be safe with me.’_

Her mind produced the mental equivalent of a keyboard smash.

After politely bidding the chief goodbye (a feat in and of itself), Eerie bolted back to her car. 

There was one more thing she needed to do.

* * *

The nasty knots in her stomach only tightened when she knocked on Connor’s door.

She didn’t know what she was going to do, she only knew that she was stepping it full throttle on the way here. It was by some sort of miracle that she wasn’t pulled over. The irony wasn’t lost on her, being a worker of law and what not. But honestly, she couldn’t have cared any less at the moment. One way or another, Eerie and Connor were bound to mention the kiss one way or another. To properly discuss it this time, where they both weren’t flustered messes. No matter how amazing and thrilling it was, Eerie just chose to chalk anything romantic as just pure wishful thinking. Still, did it change something between them? If so, in a good way or bad way? Did he even see her the same way?

Eerie groaned inwardly.

_Why is romance so hard and weird?!_

It was at the sound of him stumbling behind the door that Eerie started to second guess herself. Connor had probably just woken up, judging by how uneven and rough the footsteps were. It worried her a bit more when she heard something fall from behind the door.

As soon as the door opened, she was greeted to the sight of a very tired looking Connor, whose dragged down expression almost instantly morphed into a bright cheery one as soon as he realized it was her knocking on his door. Eerie had to fight the sudden urge to run away. This was just Connor! Her dumb, smart partner that she’d just _kissed and oh no she didn’t think this through-_

“Eerie! Welcome once again to my humble abode.” Connor moved out of the way and gestured her inside in a show of hospitality. “What brings you here?”

_A lot of things actually, namely, how nice that kiss was…_

“Chief gave me the day off.” Eerie stepped inside, unable to look him in the eye. “Figured I’d drop by before I head back home.”

“Really? I’m honored.” He said, all bright and smiles. As soon as she settled herself inside the blessed fort in the middle of his living room, Connor rummaged around in his fridge. This was normal, this was routine. Good, familiar. And if it was familiar, it meant she would be okay.

Connor piped up from behind the counter. “The usual?”

Eerie perked up. “Ooh, please.”

At that, Connor threw a can her way, and Eerie brought up a hand to catch it in the air, just above her head.

“Hey, I caught it!” Eerie held the lemon drink in both hands and held it high above her head. Her chest blew open with pride as Connor whooped for her, pumping his fist.

“Owl-like reflexes!” Connor commented. They both nodded politely at his astute observation before bursting into a fit of giggles.

Eerie popped open her drink. “Excellent deduction, boss.”

“May I remind you that _you’re_ the boss, boss?”

 _This was normal,_ she told herself.

But that idea went out the window as soon as he took his seat beside her. Connor wore a polite smile on his face, as he almost always did wherever he went. It was a habit she adored about her partner. However, there in his eyes she saw they were laced with a sort of desperation to rip off the band-aid that stuck between them like glue. He knew it. And she knew it too.

Something new filled the air; an aching. A want for words that went unsaid hung in the room around them, and Eerie wasn’t sure what to make of it. The silence stayed between them, and it was almost as if there was something pulling her to this very moment. Her and Connor, alone in a pillow fort, drinking their guilty pleasure drinks and not knowing what to say, yet also knowing what they _needed_ to say. But if none of them said it, when would they?

Eerie coughed. It was now or never.

“There’s something I wanna say-”

“I think we need to talk-”

The two blinked.

“Sorry, you go first-”

“You first, Eerie.”

Maybe she could delay the inevitable for a _little_ longer.

Eerie took a loud, longer than needed sip of her drink before speaking. “Connor, please.”

“No, it’s okay.” He fidgeted in his seat in a nervous way. She recognized it because it’s what he did whenever he was trying to hide something. “It was dumb, anyway.”

“ _Connor._ ” Eerie twitched, trying to get him to talk. Whatever it was, it seemed to be really bothering him, and she didn’t want him to bottle up whatever was bubbling up inside of him. The last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt because she was too busy trying to handle her own stupid romantic feelings for him. It could wait just a few more minutes for him to get off whatever was on his chest. The tone of her voice seemed to work, since he huffed in defeat, setting down his drink before continuing.

“Alright, alright.”

Connor shifted in the fort, sitting next to her so their knees were touching. She tried to ignore the way the contact sent an unwelcome thrill through her system. She was going to move away but thought better of it. His proximity was one of the most soothing things she could think of, and she needed it now more than ever, if she really was going to carry through with an actual confession.

“Did the um-” He coughed uncomfortably, “The uh, _kiss_ mean anything to you?”

Eerie’s breath hitched in her throat.

“Did it mean anything to _you_?” She whimpered, bowing her head. The almost pathetic vulnerability in her words made her want to smack her palm against her head. It was hard enough to even try and make eye contact!

“Well, I…” Connor put up his hands, trying to grasp at the words that he couldn’t find. It reminded Eerie of a man lost at sea with no form of navigation or help. She wanted so badly to help him say whatever was on his chest, but the annoying knots in her chest stopped her before she could even try. His eyes were fixed on her, but she could tell by the way they were glistening with fear and hope that he was trying. He was trying so _hard._

Eventually though, he went over the edge.

Connor hid his face in his hands in frustration before releasing it out of his hands to speak.

“What if it did?”

The room froze.

Eerie was struck frozen. It wasn’t all too loud, but from the sheer power those words held to her they might as well have been broadcast to the whole city. The meaning behind his words hung in the air and shocked them both. At her silence, Connor continued.

“What if it wasn’t just Paris? What if it wasn’t just the- the- heat of the moment? What if we weren’t just some weird combination of- of partners-interns-boss or _whatever._ What if I-” He frantically shucked off his gloves in a fit of frustration or vulnerability, Eerie couldn’t tell. He took her hand and held it to his heart, as if the things he were feeling there were unexplainable in any sort of spoken language; a universal, visceral feeling that couldn’t be told. Only felt. When she looked up to meet his desperate gaze, His eyes glistened with a hope; a promise.

Eerie didn’t have Connor’s hands, but she could feel his heartbeat under his chest.

And that was enough.

Connor whispered, so low that it wouldn’t be heard by another soul but hers.

“What if I was in love with you?”

The words flicked something in Eerie, sending a powerful warmth through her that sent her senses into overdrive. He looked at her with such earnest yearning that she could feel it just as much as he did. Without thinking, she leaned forward, and Connor sat back, giving her the room she needed, his legs flat on the ground. She straddled his leg, her hand still being held against his heart with both of his bare hands. She dared look him in the eye.

Blue.

A beautiful shade of blue.

Eerie spoke, a bit louder this time.

“Then, would that be okay with you?”

Connor breathed, “Eerie, I-”

She cut him off.

He didn’t need to say anymore.

Sealing her lips against his, she held his hand against her cheek, hoping it would make him feel every ounce of overwhelming love she had for him. He kept it there, sending a warmth through her as she took his face in both of her hands, holding him so close for fear that he might escape out of her hold. That, and the fact that she just wanted to hold as much of him close to her as she could. There was so much lost time that she wanted so desperately to make up for. So many lost moments that she wished she hadn’t wasted because of her own stupidity. But even though it made her want to bang her head against a wall, she knew Connor didn’t hate her for it, that was just who he was.

Every small, tiny movement his mouth made against hers banished every fraction of self-pity into the back of her brain, making room for more important things. Like the way his hand pulled her hip closer to his so they were flush with each other. Eerie let out a happy hum at that, smiling through their kiss. She could tell by the way he giggled that he was just as giddy as she was. She ran her hands through his fluffy locks, trying to fill all her senses with as much of him as she could. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to have Connor’s ability so she could cherish it even more.

There was no hiding it; they’d been stupid. _So_ stupid. She was so terrified yet so filled with want that she’d been struck idle in her own incompetence, being pulled in two different directions so hard that she never went _anywhere._ Yet, here she was, kissing Connor’s face off in a fluffy fort he made in the bedroom of his apartment.

And she wouldn’t want it any other way.

This kiss was completely different than their first one, because they had nothing more to hide. No more excuses, no more hidden feelings, and no more dates that never were. Just them and their two souls, dancing in an imaginary moonlight to a slow song that only they could hear. It sounded like a gentle melody, begging for more to fill in the gaps. The tiniest sounds she could hear, the small intimate touches of skin, she wanted to keep forever in her memory; her being. And there was no one more that she wanted to share them with than the man in her arms right now.

Eerie pulled him in for one last, tight kiss before pulling away.

She looked at him, his lips were raw and open, trying to catch his breath. His eyes were looking at her like she was the only thing he could’ve asked for in the world. The sight of him like this, lovestruck and kissed to completion, would never, _ever_ leave her memory.

And it wasn’t like she’d ever want it to.

Frantically, she took his hand and held it to her chest.

“I lied when I said I didn’t want you to be in love with me.” She confessed, still holding his hand tight to her heart. Her voice took on a strained, desperate timbre, dripping with earnest that didn’t even do the yearning in herself any justice. 

“That was a lie. A fat, dirty, _filthy_ _lie._ I want you, Connor. All of you.”

Eerie continued. “You’re just- the best person I’ve ever _known_ and I-” She choked, her eyes started to sting with tears. “I just wanted to thank you for being _you!_ It’s what I needed, Connor and you- you just- _gave_ it to me! Without holding back. I just- how?!”

Connor’s gaze was still on her chest, still reading her emotions, she wasn’t sure how long it would eventually take until he finally got the message. But when the penny dropped, his eyes shot up to hers. Her heart shot up to her chest when she realized that his eyes were welling up with tears, and his face scrunched up as they began to fall. There was so much she felt for him, and she wanted him to feel just as much for him. It was no surprise then, that she followed him, with tears of her own running down her cheeks. She didn’t care though.

What she did care about, was when Connor reached a desperate hand to cup her cheek and pull her in again.

Their kiss was tender, full of love and affection that was almost overwhelming. But she let it fill her. Let herself be embraced by the warmth of him and let it overfill until it hurt. Of all the things she regretted in her life, loving Connor MacThomas could never be one of them. She sniffled, but he didn’t seem to mind. The kiss was salty, but she didn’t mind. They were them, and that was all that mattered, and all that mattered, was them in that moment, the world could wait for the moment.

The world could wait.

Because she knew he would, too.

Connor pulled away to hold her in so close, crying into her shoulder. Lean arms wrapped its way around his neck as Eerie held him just as tight, sewing their hearts together with a needle so delicate it would hurt should it ever be touched. Whether soulmates really existed or not, she wasn’t sure. But Eerie knew that she wanted to spend her own with Connor. The tears stung a little less when she was in his arms, after all.

When they eventually calmed down enough, they pulled away to look at each other. His hair was a mess, as well as her own. It was only then that she was aware that her bow was discarded on the floor from their movement, and her hair was wild and loose; ’free‘, as Connor would call it.

_Free._

That was the perfect word for how she felt at that exact moment.

Eerie chuckled through the tears, along with Connor. They were a complete mess, weren’t they? A pathetic, awkward, inexperienced mess that would take a little cleaning up. Maybe a little more than they first thought, but it was okay, they’d do it together.

They always did.

Eerie leaned forward to rest her forehead against his, wanting to pull her heart as close to his as she could. Her arms were still resting around his shoulders, while his hands kept her body close to his. She let out a giggle when Connor tried to give her a good peck on the mouth, and succeeded. The cheeky raccoon man, he was. When his tail wrapped around her protectively, neither of them made any mention of it. She didn’t want to ruin _that_ particular contact. It was one of her many, many favorite parts of him.

“So…” Connor spoke up, filling the silence with his melodic voice. It was a wonder how she hadn’t realized her feelings before when he always looked at her with such earnest admiration.

“So…” Eerie mimicked, tickling them into yet another fit of giggles.

“Movie?” He asked.

She hummed. “Only if I get to pick.”

At her answer, he beamed so bright that Eerie could see the sun in his eyes.

“You’re the boss.”

That night, when Eerie was about to fall asleep in their pillow fort, she learned something very new, yet very familiar in her half-asleep daze.

Connor didn’t have a half-bad singing voice.

* * *

_Six months later…_

There were some things in life that were always a constant for Connor.

For example, he could always count on his family to be with him whenever he needed it. Their never ending support for him despite his usual protests never fell on deaf ears. Naturally, it meant he always felt safe in his own shoes, it was rare for him to feel out of place in the world.

On top of that, it seemed like his hands, ears and tail would be a part of him for life. Not that he’d have it any other way, of course. They’d helped him become better as a person, to grow into the man that he so longed to be deep inside. A soul-searching journey that he was so glad he was put on from the day he stepped into that forest. If he was given the chance, he’d do it all over again, never once looking back.

Then, there was Eerie.

A year ago, if someone asked Connor about his relationship with Eerie, he’d have spent a good fifteen minutes gushing about how awesome his partner was.

But now, fifteen minutes would never be enough.

He had to pause and reflect how much lighter his shoulders felt in the past six months. His days at work were so much better with her around. Somehow, he’d even managed to crack open her staunch attitude towards professionalism in the office when he tempted her with a kiss or two. There was no shame in wanting to indulge, after all. Who could blame him for wanting to shower his wonderful partner in affections?

Connor chuckled.

_Partner._

He still liked the sound of that.

It was about three months ago when the chief offered Eerie a spot on the team as a full-time detective. Needless to say, they were both over the moon that night when Eerie came screaming to him about her new promotion as an actual ‘detective’ as if she wasn’t already. She was honestly so well-equipped for the trade that Connor wondered why he wasn’t the one being put under _her_ mentorship. It only made sense, given how well they worked together.

Still, it seemed like some things were never perfect.

Connor took a deep breath as he recalled the events of the previous night.

They’d had a pretty nasty fight. Not the kind where they were yelling at each other’s faces, no. It was the type where there was barely any kind of communication other than petty, passive-aggressive, mono-syllabic sentences that still made him want to claw his ears in from how stupid he was. He’d never meant to hurt Eerie, and now he hadn’t heard from her since. It was tearing him inside out, knowing that she was hurting because of him.

Connor timidly opened the door to the office.

 _Their_ office.

Inside, Eerie sat with her back against him, writing in pen what he assumed was important paperwork. To an untrained eye, it just looked like she was getting her regular work done, Eerie as she always was. Unbothered, unphased. Ever the professional.

But Connor knew better.

He didn’t even have to try and read her to know. There was a slight movement to her, the slightest way her posture was straighter than usual made his chest clench. If she knew he was there, she didn’t mention it. Connor didn’t know what was worse, the fact that she didn’t know, or that she chose to ignore his existence entirely. He knew he had to try and fix things, but the thought of speaking to Eerie and possibly getting in another hurtful fight was enough to make him want to cry.

Still, though…

“Happy six-month!” He said softly.

Eerie turned around in her chair. First, looking him in the eye. He was caught off guard by the way her eyebrows rose. Her eyes twinkled with something that was more akin to surprise than any kind of anger. Maybe she was already over it? They didn’t fight often, but last night’s one in particular was pretty bad.

But then, her jaw went slack when she saw what he was holding in front of him.

It was a purple bow, with little cartoon owls sprinkled all over it. Of course, seeing it at the display case at the mall last week reminded him of her instantly. So, he bought it discreetly, making sure she was positively distracted with something else before making the quick transaction. Luckily, she was none the wiser, and it lay at the bottom of his dresser hidden behind many different layers of designer underwear.

He made it a point to wash it thoroughly last night after she left.

Eerie reached out for it almost out of reflex, before stopping herself and pulling her hand away.

“But… we had a fight last night?” She asked, a statement that was more of a question than anything else. Was she worried about something she did?

Connor quirked a brow and tilted his head. “Yeah, we did. So what?” He tried his best to give her a smile in what he hoped was reassuring. “Don’t you still deserve a six-month anniversary gift?” She did, of course. The thought never left his mind even through their badly-timed argument last night.

The silence in the air hung in both of their ears for a long, stretched moment. Her eyes never left his though, making him fall in love with her all over again. Maybe it was the color of her eyes that made him want to burst into a warm puddle of goo, or maybe it was the way she blinked at herself when a case was a bit difficult to tackle. Regardless, all thoughts of the habits he loved dissipated into a warm, calming relief when she rose out of her seat.

And pulled him in close to her.

She buried her face in his shoulder, and that gesture alone was enough to make him melt. He set the gift aside on his desk for now, he figured it could wait. Instead, he made sure to make the woman in his arms feel every bit as loved and cared for as he could. There was so much love he wanted to give her, so much respect and admiration he harbored for her that never waned even months into their relationship. In high school, he’d almost grown to hate how much dedication and restriction long-term relationships seemed to demand. But now, it was different.

He met Eerie.

And he wanted to love her no matter what.

No. Matter. What.

“I’m sorry I called your sand stupid.” She mumbled into his shoulder.

Connor smiled.

“I’m sorry I called you a furby-face.” Connor said. At that, Eerie pulled back to look at Connor expectantly. Her eyes glistened slightly with tears, yet she still looked at him with a slight glare in her eye. A small wave of relief washed over him at the sight of her being back. “Again.”

That seemed to satisfy Eerie, since she chuckled, wiping her eye with the palm of her hand.

“If it helps, I could kiss you here-” he kissed the outer edge of her eye, “and here,” he pecked her nose, making her giggle, “or here.” He managed to get a good one on her forehead.

“Connor!” She laughed. But he wasn’t done quite yet!

“Or here.” He lilted, kissing her cheek and giving it a good smack with his lips. “Or, maybe this would help more.”

He pulled her in for a soft, tender kiss on her lips. Her hands came to either side of his face, cradling his head in her strong hands. No matter how many times they seemed to kiss, the feeling of being in her hands never lost its effect. The same warmth as their first one from months ago still made itself present every time their two souls danced like this, and he was so glad it did. He could never get sick of the overwhelming amount of love he could feel even through his gloves. Sometimes, she would slip a finger or two inside them, sending his world reeling.

Connor pulled away first, resisting the urge to kiss her senseless for the sake of maintaining _some_ level of professionalism they could get around each other. Which may have been surprising, but hey, _someone_ had to make sure they got back to work sooner or later.

“So, we cool, boss?” He asked.

Eerie smiled. “We’re cool, boss.”

He palmed the bow beside him and offered it to Eerie while still holding an arm around her waist, never wanting to let go. She took it with grace, holding it up in front of them so she could get a better look at it. If she had her magnifying glass, she probably would’ve been using it.

“This is really pretty.” She pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Connor nuzzled his nose in her hair. “Anything for you.”

“Flatterer.”

“For you? Always.”

That just about did it for Eerie, who was hiding her face in his chest. Connor was absolutely positive he could spend the rest of his days being attached to Eerie, never once leaving her side. But that was a question he would ask her later. If she ever found out that he was planning to propose to her in a pillow fort all dressed up and fancy, he was pretty sure she’d either faint or yell at him for being so Connor. The plan wasn’t set in stone, but it definitely was tempting. Besides, the time hadn’t come yet.

It would come eventually though, he was sure of it.

In the meantime…

Connor pulled out the phone in his back pocket, and held it out in front of them.

“I think it’s time we told him.” He said, opening his and Adrien’s texts. “It’s already been so long, and I don’t know how much longer I can take knowing all of this without telling him. I’m just- worried, is all.”

Eerie ran a thumb along his cheek. “It was your decision, Connor. I say we tell him, but I know this means a lot to you.” She tilted his chin so she could look him in the eye, her soft gaze doing wonders for him. “So, it’s your say.”

Connor softened. “You’re right.”

Setting himself down into his chair, he got straight to work. He pulled together all the digital files he had on hand that would help the two superheroes. Every picture, every line of clues he and Eerie found on that fateful night at the hotel that would leave the identity of Hawkmoth in their hands without a shadow of a doubt should they ever want to consult the police too. He knew the kids would be able to handle it, anyway. He’d spent enough time watching and talking to them to know that they’d be able to take down the supervillain now. Their persistence to finding him was something that he was both simultaneously awed and taken aback by. It was a wonder they hadn’t found out who he was yet.

After he compiled all of their information, he attached it to a message. Connor made sure to offer a short apology for holding this back from him, as well as a paragraph of comforting words. It was hard when words were something Connor wasn’t all too good at, but he still did his best. Heavens knew Adrien needed it. It was a shame he couldn’t be there to support him when he likely needed it most. Texts and calls were nice, but sparse given his packed schedule.

Connor pressed send, and then dropped the phone defeatedly on his desk, drooping his head.

He felt Eerie lean down behind him, hugging him from behind his chair in quiet encouragement. “You did the right thing, Connor.” She tilted her head slightly, and rested her chin on his shoulder so their faces were right next to each other, granting Connor a full view of her. It was a single gesture, but there was no way to describe just how grateful he was for her at that moment.

“Thank you, my feather.” Connor held her chin in between the cradles of his forefinger and thumb and pulled her in for one more kiss. He didn’t even realize he needed it until the familiar rush of love helped to clear him of the grief that he didn’t even notice was there before it was gone. If even for a little while, he was glad he could forget about it for a bit.

When she pulled away, she came up to rest her cheek on top of his head, just between his ears, stroking his stomach in circles. The closeness was something he relished in, never wanting it to disappear for just a second. Thankfully, Eerie seemed to be thinking the same thing when she pulled a hand away from around his neck to pet his tail. That of which was curling its way around her legs once again. The contact of her hands on fur sending him into an ocean of bliss he would gladly drown in if it meant more of her.

Connor let out a breath of relief, letting the peace wash over him like a bright sunny afternoon.

It was a wonder how this single woman was able to bring him so much joy and life without even trying, yet also take him on the wildest of rides. Both physically and emotionally. They were one heck of a rollercoaster, but neither of them wanted to get off. All aboard.

The sight of a photo he set on his desk of them beaming into a camera put a much welcome smile on his face.

He held out his gloved hand, hoping that she’d take it. But thankfully, he didn’t even need words to let her know; she was already on top of it, like she always was. Eerie pulled her hand away from his tail.

And she took his hand in hers.

* * *

It was a week later when the chief ran into their office, startling the two. Whatever could be so important that he literally had to burst in?

He smiled, phone in hand as he panted from his brief sprint down the hallway.

“Guys,” he said, still out of breath. “You just got another case in Paris.”

Connor and Eerie looked at each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops i guess i kinda set it up for a sequel there huh?
> 
> but anyways we've reached the end of my somehow 50k chouette/ml fic! woo! just wanted to thank the few peeps who showed their love and support to this little passion project of mine as well as my beta reader that helped sand out the rough edges on this thing as best as they could. seriously, they helped so much.
> 
> i have so much love for connor and eerie and i seriously hope to write more of them in the future
> 
> until next time :)
> 
> (also shoutout to wonkywendy for all of the awesome comments lmao. u the real mvp)

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: [thatanonwiththeoc](https://thatanonwiththeoc.tumblr.com/)


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